Through His Eyes
by Different Child
Summary: Truth. Understanding. Love. Three important concepts that were not much to ask for. Who is the real Blaine underneath that dapper facade? The journey of life and love. With Kurt on his side he can face anything, right? Including his inner demons?
1. Love at first sight?

**A/N****: **Hello and welcome to my first GLEE fic! I fell in love with the show sometime during season 2, watching it from the beginning. I think it was when I was overseas and I was desperate for something to keep me busy while I was bored in my off time. It started as just another show…and then I fell in love.

Dedicated to two amazing ladies and writers: **GleekMom**. You helped me so much with your stories! You inspired me to do this and gave me the courage. And **pi .on .a .skateboard** . Thank you Steph for originally trying to get me to write something GLEE and for listening to so many of my rants. I can't thank you enough! You also helped me to fall in love with Blaine and appreciate him so. You should definitely go check out these ladies' works. :)

* * *

_Truth. Understanding. Love. Three important concepts that were not much to ask for. They were things that most children and people in general desired. They wanted to be able to speak the truth and be told it. Understanding was desired from their peers heavily at that age. Though it was always desired from family. In the pre-teen and teen years they were becoming less important but not to him. That's why he was nervous. And love. To quote Moulin Rouge: "All you need is love". But what kind of love? Where would he find that love? And that was it. That was where the problem laid. One afternoon was all it took for his world to be shattered. One statement shattered all previous hopes held. One word that would end up defining him to them. One thing changed it all. Two simple words had that much power… "I'm gay". And nothing had been the same ever since…_

Blaine blinked, shaking his head and trying to snap out of it. The last thing he wanted to do was focus on that memory. He shouldn't be thinking about those things right now. He shouldn't be focusing on that. What brought it on? What made him remember that? He wasn't sure he wanted to know…He frowned but pushed the memory back right now. He didn't have time to focus on that. He had class right now and a performance soon. He needed to get his head in the game.

Nick saw his friend zone out and looked at him curiously. Blaine often zoned out, it was one of the things they loved to tease him about. But usually it was about something silly. Today that didn't seem to be the case. The other warbler quickly wrote a note and balled it up, tossing it at Blaine.

Luckily the teacher's back was turned as the ball hit Blaine in the head. He blinked and turned in the direction it came from. Nick pointed to the floor nearby where the note had landed. He quickly checked to make sure Ms. Miller still had her back turned and picked it up, placing it in notebook and smoothing it out.

'Hey man. You spaced but you had that look on ur face. U ok?'

The soloist smiled at that. Nick was one of the guys he was most close to. He and Wes generally noticed when something was up before the rest of them. He quickly scribbled back a reply and tossed it back before the teacher turned around. PHEW! Just in time, he sighed to himself in relief.

Nick didn't get the chance to open it at first and had to wait until Ms. Miller finished lecturing them about SIN, COS and TAN before he could peek and reply.

'Fine. Thanks for asking. Just…thinking too much. We're still on for the impromptu performance after this class right?'

He'd changed the subject…Of course he did, Nick thought to himself and shook his head. Blaine tended to do that when serious things came up. He tried to avoid the conversation or turned it into a joke. Sometimes he'd just smile and say 'No Big Deal'. No matter what it was, he'd always try to shake it off. He knew something bigger was going on but he didn't want to push. He had a feeling that Wes knew but the council member was not one to betray a confidence. So what did he do? He filed this one away for later and responded.

'Yea, still on. Head right to the choir room after class is what Wes said. Where would we be without our lead singer? ;)'

Nick passed it back one more time and turned his attention back to the board.

* * *

The bell rang dismissing them all from classes. Nick looked back at Blaine but the curly haired teen just motioned for the other to go ahead. He had to pack up his things and that took a little longer than he would've liked. Plus their teacher decided that Blaine needed to be lectured. He wasn't paying enough attention…not his fault that he was bored. He just smiled and nodded and yes ma'amed. Ever the people pleaser he politely apologized as well and begged to be able to go. "We've got a performance Ms. Miller. May I be excused now?"

"Well now. Just because you're part of the Warblers doesn't mean you can get lazy in class…"

"Yes ma'am. I know. I promise to pay more attention next time." But Blaine really wanted to roll his eyes. She wasn't a bad teacher just dull. And he really needed to go…He didn't want to miss this performance! She finally relented after a little more lecturing and he sprinted out of the classroom. He did slow down a bit as he reached the staircase, as he didn't want to hurt himself right before a performance after all.

* * *

Nervously, Kurt walked down the stairs, taking off his sunglasses and looking around. He dressed in his best to try and blend in but upon seeing the uniforms he wasn't sure he did such a good job. Who wore navy polyester blazers? They certainly weren't designer. "Um, excuse me. Hi. Can I ask you a question? I'm new here."

"My name's Blaine." He offered, hoping to make the boy relax by introducing himself. He seemed so nervous. There was no need to be so hesitant at Dalton. Everyone was safe here. If this kid was actually a student he'd know that. But…he could just be scared. It does seem a bit unbelievable at first. Blaine decided to give him some leeway. He seemed nice enough.

"Kurt." He replied back anxiously. He wasn't exactly sure if he was being rude but he was rather confused. "So what exactly is going on?" The older boy inquired. Everyone seemed to be rushing towards the same place.

"The Warblers!" Blaine replied excitedly. They were one of his favorite things to talk about. "Every now and then they throw an impromptu performance in the Senior Commons." He winked at the new kid. "Tends to shut the school down for a while."

_Shut the school down? They're not bullied? _"So wait, the Glee Club here is kind of cool?" The brunette asked skeptically. That wasn't possible. Since when was Glee cool? At McKinley Glee was practically social suicide. Scratch that. It WAS social suicide.

"The Warbler's are like rock stars!" _And it's AWESOME! _The inner child in Blaine wanted to scream. He loved his boys and they were a blast. But perhaps he was exaggerating with the rock stars…

Kurt raised his eyebrows at this. _Rock stars?_ He thought in disbelief. He couldn't fathom a world in which the Glee club was actually popular. _Rock stars…_he thought again, still shocked.

"Come on. I know a shortcut." Blaine said, taking Kurt's hand. _He looks so surprised…Maybe if I show him he'll understand?_ With that Blaine pulled Kurt along, taking what was actually a more convoluted route to the Commons. He'd justify it to himself later by saying that the normal route would be more crowded! So in a way it was shorter…

"Oo! I stick out like a sore thumb!" It was obvious he didn't go to the school now! It was bad enough in the hallways but here? He just knew he'd been found out! But Blaine continued the charade and didn't out him.

"Well next time don't forget your jacket new kid." He said, patting him encouragingly on the arm and playing along. "You'll fit right in." Once more he winked at said 'new boy'. _Kurt, _he remembered before handing his bag off to one of the other boys in the room. The performance was about to start and what good was it having your schoolbooks while singing? Definitely silly and while he was jumping on the furniture silly, he wasn't stupid.

Shortly thereafter he heard the rest of the Warblers start the backing vocals for their song and knew it was time to take his place. "Now if you'll excuse me…" That was the last thing he said to Kurt before he joined his fellow Warblers and starting singing.

"_Before you met me,_

I was all right

_but things were kinda heavy,_

_you brought me to life_

_now every February _

_you'll be my valentine _

_Valentine_

_...  
_

_Let's go all_

_the way tonight. _

_No regrets._

_Just love. _

_We can dance, _

_until we die. _

_You and I, _

_we'll be young forever_

_...  
_

_You make me_

_feel like I'm living a_

_Teenage Dream. _

_The way you turn me on._

_I can't sleep_

_so run away and_

_don't ever look back _

_don't ever look back._

Blaine smiled at Kurt. The other boy couldn't help but smile himself.

_Let's go all _

_the way tonight. _

_No regrets._

_Just love. _

_We can dance, _

_until we die. _

_You and I, _

_we'll be young forever_

_...  
_

_You make me_

_feel like I'm living a_

_Teenage Dream. _

_The way you turn me on._

_I can't sleep_

_so run away and_

_don't ever look back _

_don't ever look back…"_

Blaine really belted out the lyrics this time. They had practiced this before but for some reason this time it was much more passionate. He felt so alive during this performance. Performing generally got him really jazzed but this time it was more. Maybe it was that new kid. For some reason he just couldn't take his eyes off of him…_  
_

"…_.Let you put your hands on me_

_in my skin tight jeans _

_be my teenage dream tonight."_

Little did he know that this song was almost foreshadowing the upcoming times. He looked into those eyes one more time and knew he saw something special. He'd known it from the moment he was stopped on the stairs. What he didn't know, is that the person behind those eyes would become someone to turn his life upside down or perhaps, right side up…

* * *

**This is the prologue of the story! I'm kind of testing the waters a bit at this point. I hope you all like what you see so far! I know it isn't much yet but it will be.**

_And just one more note_: If any of you EVER need to talk I'm here. Inbox me or ask for more information and I will gladly provide. Just remember - It Gets Better.

Thanks so much for reading! :)


	2. Coffee Talk

Officially begins Chapter 1~

Disclaimer: I should have put this in the last chappie but o well and here it goes! Anything you recognize does not belong to me! I also must credit the fun description of Wes to **Carbon65**! She's fabulous! Go look, especially if you like Sebastian or you're willing to see a new side of him! I wasn't until her fic! That's how amazing she is!

This chapter is dedicated to three amazing ladies who I've had the pleasure of meeting recently! **GleekMom**, **StarGleekBelle**, and **momaboutown**! Go check out their works if you're looking for a good read!

* * *

After the performance, Blaine, Wes and David decided to take the 'new kid' to go get some coffee. It was painfully obvious he was not from there otherwise they would know. Wes knew everything so it seemed and David wasn't out of the loop entirely. They still remembered when Blaine came last year. But the kid seemed alright and he'd clearly gotten Blaine's curiosity. That was enough for the other two Warblers to want more information. Blaine was friendly sure but he didn't take THAT much of a shining to just anyone…

Kurt was nervous as hell. He'd come from McKinley after Puck butted in during their 'Second Annual Boys vs. Girls assignment.

"Uh dude, why don't you go make yourself useful and go put some rat poison in an old folks jello or visit the Garglers." Kurt sighed. Did Puck ever stop being an ass? Was sabotage all he thought Kurt useful for? Did he even realize what he was saying? "The Warblers" He'd corrected frustratedly.

Puck obviously didn't care. "Whatever, see what they're up to. And you can wear all the feathers you want. You'll blend right in." Could he be more homophobic if he tried? _ Not much…_

So what did Kurt do? He did exactly that, minus the feathers that is. He wasn't going to take Puck's idiotic suggestions seriously after all…"Fine." And with that he stormed off to change before making the long drive to Dalton Academy. That is precisely how he got into the situation he was in now. He was in enemy territory and they were going to beat him up just like at McKinley. It was stupid of him to come in the first place. He knew Puck was probably joking but that didn't stop it from hurting. But why did he have to listen to him?

Blaine was excited. This new kid definitely seemed interesting. There was just something about him that called to Blaine and he wasn't sure what. It wasn't the fact that he was obviously gay. _Don't judge Blaine._ He himself could pass and often did without thinking about it. That was just a stereotype. He put on a smile, still a bit high off of performing. Hey, it was a natural high. Not a bad thing. Wes led them towards Dalton's little coffee shop where Blaine decided that Kurt could use some coffee too. He didn't seem to be getting anything like the other there boys so why not? A little caffeine never hurt anything.

"Latte?" The gelled one asked, handing Kurt the coffee. Kurt acknowledged it but didn't speak just yet so Blaine decided to introduce his friends. "This is Wes and David." Both boys nodded at their introductions.

"It's very civilized for you to invite me for coffee before you beat me up for spying.

"We are not going to beat you up." _Smooth Wes, smooth. _ The Asian thought to himself. But it was important for the kid to understand that he was safe here. Dalton was a school, a safe house, for people who needed it. Of course there were still some kids who just went there because their parents/relatives decided that Private School was much better than Public. In some cases, Public School was even unthinkable. But for many, at least in the Warblers, it was their last hope.

David smiled. "You were such a terrible spy, we thought it was sort of…endearing." That was the best word he could come up with. Kurt seemed like a nice guy though. Why would they beat him up in the first place though? He was one of the lucky ones he mused as Kurt continued to look nervous.

"Which made **me** think spying on us wasn't really the reason you came." Blaine said, putting down his coffee. In fact, he was almost positive that wasn't the reason.

Kurt tried to speak, noise coming out but no actual words. He tried again and managed. "C-can I ask you guys a question?" You could hear the hesitance in his voice. All three boys looked at him expectantly, as if saying 'go on'. "Are you g-guys all gay?" He instantly regretted asking it upon seeing their response.

They couldn't help it. They had to stop it from becoming a full on laugh rather than just a chuckle but they were all amused. Common enough question…sort of. But really the ones who were could often pass for straight. And the rest of them were more interested in the opposite sex as could be evidenced by their 'secret' nighttime visitors.

They realized he didn't see it their way then he looked more hesitant after their response. "Uh-uh no." Blaine managed, smiling so hard. The question just made him grin ear to ear. "I mean I am; but these two have girlfriends."

"This is not a gay school." David picked up, this being his area of expertise. "We just have a zero-tolerance harassment policy."

Wes jumped in now as the Senior. "Everybody gets treated the same no matter what they are." One of the things he loved about Dalton. "It's pretty simple."

Again Kurt struggled, unsure what to say to this, Wes' words echoing in his mind. _Everyone gets treated the same…_Blaine looked at Kurt's face, seeing the internal struggle going on in the well-dressed boy's mind. He picked up on it and looked at the others briefly. "Would you excuse us?" This was a more one-on-one type of discussion.

The other boys stood up, Wes taking the lead after catching Blaine's underlying meaning. He'd been the one to take Blaine under his wing when the younger boy first arrived. "Take it easy Kurt." The older Warbler said and walked off with David, contemplating the situation.

* * *

They headed straight back to the dorm after leaving the coffee shop. After all there was quite a bit of work to be done. Dalton wasn't a school for slackers. They were talking amongst themselves when they happened to run into one of their fellow Warblers.

"Hey guys. Did you see where Blaine went off to after _Teenage Dream_? I saw him giving googly eyes to that kid watching us. I wanted to ask him what was up with that but he disappeared after the performance. Come to think of it, so did you two."

David laughed and Wes rolled his eyes. "That's because we went WITH Blaine and Kurt to have coffee and chat. You can't figure that out but you expect to be on the council next year?" Wes scoffed in disbelief.

David simply shook his head at his friend. Wes was oftentimes the go-to-guy for the Warblers. When behind the Council desk or when one of the boys needed him, he was on it. He was the older, more mature, more stable individual who was there for them no matter. Their fearless leader was perhaps the way to describe him. But behind closed doors? When they were having their Warbler sleepovers and game nights? He was one of the boys. He was insane just like the rest of them. All in all he was about half-serious and half-ridiculousness. "What he means, Nicholas, is that we went to talk to Kurt, the new gentleman, after the performance. He was having a rough time and needed people to talk to."

"So his name's Kurt, huh?" Nick questioned.

"Yes." Wes replied without hesitation. No harm in telling Nick his name. He was Blaine's other best friend and thus the two talked quite a bit about what they were going to do with everyone's favorite lead soloist. Blaine could be a handful sometimes and they worried about him.

He pondered that for a moment. Kurt. The new guys' name was Kurt. But wait…"So is he new here or what? I heard Blaine call him new kid right before we started but I haven't seen him around. And he wasn't dressed in uniform."

"That would be correct." Wes said, heading towards the stairs.

"Wait you can't just leave me with that." Nick said, rolling his eyes. "Which part is correct?"

David looked at him with an expression that said 'Tell him'. Wes sighed and walked back to Nick. "He's not a new kid. He's from McKinley in Lima. But don't go spreading it around. He's had a rough time." His expression changed once again from silliness to seriousness.

"How rough?" Nick asked, picking up on the change of tone.

Wes frowned. He didn't know entirely but he could guess. And he had a feeling. "Correct me if I'm wrong David, and I hope I am, but I think his situation is similar to Blaine's…"

Nick's eyes widened slightly at that thought. Very few of the boys knew the full extent of what happened to Blaine at his old school and in general but these three did. These three and a select few others, all Warblers, knew each other's deepest, darkest secrets and carried them close always. If Kurt's situation was similar to Blaine's…"How similar?"

The tallest boy shook his head and shrugged. "We don't know yet. I don't think it's the same. I think Wes is worrying a bit much but I do believe he is on the right track. We'll find out soon enough." Seeing the look on Nick's face however, he knew he would. "Hey man, it'll be alright. Blaine'll be back after the conversation and he can fill you in what he knows. What he can tell of course. "

"He basically asked us to give them some privacy, one gay boy in Ohio to another." Wes picked up where David finished. "I think Blaine'll be good for him. But I'm sure he won't be able to divulge the full extent of Kurt's problems without Kurt's permission. We'll find out shortly."

Nick nodded at the other two boys, grateful for the information. "You two go ahead on upstairs. I'm gonna wait here for him to get back." They nodded in return and walked up the stairs. But there was one more question left on Nick's mind after they left._ Wes said that Blaine would be good for Kurt, but will Kurt be good for Blaine?_

* * *

He couldn't deny being relieved when the other boys left but he felt the pressure now. Both did. Kurt as he was glad he was alone with someone who could possibly understand but now there was the pressure to talk…Blaine because he was pleased to be alone with this intriguing new boy but also uncertain

Taking the initiative, Blaine broke the silence. "I take it you're having trouble at school." It wasn't really a question, more a statement, and an observation.

"I'm the only person out of the closet at my school." Kurt confessed in one of the softest voices you would ever hear from him. It was difficult to say and difficult to think about. It was not a situation he was pleased to be in. It hurt. HE hurt. He'd been through so much because of this. "And-and I tried to stay strong about it, but there's this Neanderthal who's made it his mission to make my life a living hell. And nobody seems to notice." At this point Kurt was crying. It was impossible not to and it broke Blaine's heart to see it. He'd been there once. And he would never forget…but no. He could think of that now. While he understood he needed to stay in the present, to focus on the boy in front of him. Kurt. But that didn't mean he shouldn't show how he understood.

"I know how you feel." He scoffed, disappointed with himself and slightly bitter. "I got taunted at my old school and it" ooph…it was a sound he made in-between words. It expressed just how pissed off he was and how he wished he'd done something different. His tone took on a different note now. "I even complained about it to the faculty. And they were sympathetic and all but you could just tell that nobody really cared." He emphasized those last few words especially to express how he felt.

"It was like hey, if you're gay your life's just gonna be miserable." He wasn't shocked of course but he hated it. He HATED his old school and he hated how they'd and he'd dealt with it all. "Sorry, nothing we can do about it." That's how it was. They didn't care. It hurt. It GOT him hurt. "So I left. And I came here." Blaine motioned with his hands to the area around him. Dalton: His refuge, his sanctuary, his home. More home than 'home' had ever been. He sighed. "Simple as that." But it wasn't simple. It wasn't simple at all…

But now, with this boy, he could do something different. He could help him. Help him do what he never could. "So you have two options." The Warbler began, starting what could be an ultimatum or advice, perhaps a bit of both? Kurt wasn't sure what Blaine meant by that at first but he looked up, looked at him for guidance. "I mean I'd love to tell you just to come enroll here but tuition at Dalton's sorta steep and-and I know that's not an option for everybody." _Yea, not everyone's parents are rich…_Blaine thought to himself with loathing and self-hatred. Money couldn't buy happiness…But it could buy Dalton. But here, here was his chance. His place. This is what he could do for him.

"Or…you can refuse to be the victim." That's what he'd done. Be the victim. He let himself become a victim of the abuse and run like a scared puppy with its tail between his legs to Dalton. Not saying Dalton wasn't great…it was. He LOVED Dalton. But he wished he could be brave like this kid…"Prejudice is just ignorance, Kurt. And you have a chance right now to teach him."

Kurt was completely captivated. He was completely wrapped up in Blaine's speech. Everything he was saying made sense and god was he attractive…_No._ Kurt thought to himself. He shouldn't be thinking that. But he was….He turned his attention back to the topic at hand, steadying himself, looking this boy directly in the eyes. "How?"

"Confront 'im." Blaine moved from his position slightly, adjusting himself to get closer to Kurt. "Call him out." Kurt took a breath, trying to calm himself once more. The idea of doing that did sound awfully bold but it was also extremely terrifying.

"I ran, Kurt." Kurt….even his name sounded just right rolling off his tongue. "I didn't stand up." Blaine's voice got softer with these words. "I let bullies chase me away. And it is something that I really…really regret…" _You have no idea just how much I regret it…And how much I wish I could go back in time and change it. But I can't. I can't so I won't. I deal with it every single day. How I hate it. How I hate myself sometimes….I hate what I did. I hate how I ran. I hate how I wasn't brave. No. How I'm NOT brave…_

* * *

**BOO! :) **And there's chapter 1! Or two? =P Point being here we go! This is extra long because I had some time right now and I wanted to make it extra special! How did everyone like it? Let me know what **YOU **enjoyed and didn't! I'll remember that! Next chapter we'll be straying away from the show a bit and focusing more on everyone's favorite Dalton boys! There is so much going on in Warblerland! See you soon!

_As always_: If any of you EVER need to talk I'm here. Inbox me or ask for more information and I will gladly provide it to you. Just remember - It Gets Better.


	3. Farewells, Friends and What the Fuck?

**A/n: **And here's Chapter 2! I'm really enjoying writing this and now it's time for some original stuff and not straight from the show, though there is still going to be some of that too! Sorry for all that folks but it was very important to the plot and the story of Klaine! I appreciate your patience and bearing with me as we stumble through it all.

Also – _Wanderer_ – lovely review! I wish I knew who you were. Feel free to shoot me an email sometime! I don't know if you can do that from ff, see emails anymore. I don't think so. But hey! Keep reviewing please! =) Do I know you IRL?

My description of Jeff as an Aussie is due to **pi . on . a . skateboard ** You should totally go check out her work! I am definitely influenced. Thanks Steph!

Special thanks go out to **Carbon65 **who put up with me for hours while I tried to finish writing this chapter to my liking! In the end I came up with another 1k + and tons of ideas for later chapters! Thank you again! =D 

Onwards now into the wild, blue yonder! ;)

* * *

The conversation ended not long after that. "It was great talking to you Kurt, but I think you should head back now. You've already missed some class by being here to begin with and Lima isn't exactly close to Westerville."

Kurt frowned. He didn't really want to leave. He felt safer here already. No Karofsky, no bullies period. Zero tolerance policy, they had said. It was really something and so grand! "It's not that far away…" He said, receiving a skeptical look from Blaine. "Ok. Ok…thanks Blaine." He replied, feeling bad about how ungrateful. He could've said thanks so much for not beating me up. Or thanks for being the ONE person who finally understands what he's going through…But all he said was ok…and a half hearted thanks.

Luckily, Blaine understood enough. Kurt was nervous. Kurt was unsure. He was being bullied and Dalton was a safe place. He understood that all too well. That's why he was here himself. Kurt didn't want to leave and he didn't blame him. But he was proud that the other boy was going to stand up to his demons. "Anytime Kurt. And speaking of," he said, taking out his phone, "why don't we exchange numbers. That way if you ever need to talk I'm just a text or a phone call away. " He wasn't sure if this was too forward, or even the right thing. But he knew that if he were in Kurt's situation…._when_ he was in that not quite the same but similar situation, he would've appreciated having someone to talk to.

He didn't have to wait long to find out that it was definitely the right move as Kurt's face lit up at the suggestion. "That would be amazing Blaine. Here." He said, taking the other boy's phone and putting in his number. "Now you've got mine." This was a good thing. He had someone who knew. He had someone to talk to now…this was amazing!

Blaine chuckled at Kurt's eagerness and called him briefly to make sure the other boy had his number. "Great. Now we're even. But seriously Kurt. Call me anytime you need. I mean try not to call me in class." He teased, but noticed the crestfallen look on Kurt's face. "Hey, hey…if it's an emergency then it doesn't matter. But if you just wanna talk then text me. Our teachers are a bit strict but there are some that are easy to ignore." The Warbler winked.

The fashionista finally smiled a little again. "Thanks…I guess I can't thank you enough and I just met you. God…" He shook his head and pressed his palms to his face, trying to stop the tears before they fully started.

_I know I don't know him well yet but…it always makes me feel better…_Blaine thought as he hugged him. The other boy tensed briefly but relaxed. It felt nice for them both…Blaine got the idea that Kurt was still nervous about touch but Blaine was pleased to find out was comforting him at least a little. He wasn't sure but he got a good feeling about this whole thing.

Finally he let go of Kurt and the older boy climbed into his car sadly. Neither really seemed to want this to end. Funny considering they just met. But Kurt drove off with the promise that they would talk soon as he headed back to Lima. Blaine waved and started walking back to his dorm, whistling along the way. _This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship…_

* * *

After Kurt left, Blaine walked back towards the campus, having walked him out to his car. When he got back Nick was waiting for him. "Hey lover boy."

Blaine's head snapped up in the other boy's direction as he heard that. Of all the thing to call him it HAD to be that. "Lover boy? Nick I don't know what you're talking about." _Play it cool Blaine. Besides, nothing really DID happen._

"O I think you do." He continued, walking closer. Now he knew better than to back Blaine in. That would cause his best friend to freak out. But this was the entrance; they were in the common room now. It was a big, open space that he could give his buddy a hard time in. "Wes and David said you talked to that kid from the performance. The one who was watching us. They said you talked _alone_ for a little while."

He put on his straight face (no pun intended) and looked at Nick. "He had problems Nick. Problems like mine…" Blaine sighed and sat down, remembering his own experiences with bullying…

…

"_Hey faggot! Whatcha doin? You spreading your filth around?"_

"Get lost Brandon!" Timothy said, standing up. Blaine tried to pull him back down but it was unsuccessful. "Get off it Blaine! We've got to stand up."

He knew the other boy was right. He wanted to stand up himself but he was always shy about it. He had only recently come out of the closet. It was a shock as he'd been an ok guy. He'd been friends with some girls, gone on some dates to please his parents but it just hadn't worked out. He was involved in sports…he was a guy's guy. He didn't fit the stereotype. Unfortunately it made things all the worse…

…

His friend frowned at that. That far away look in Blaine's eyes that meant he remembered something…something bad…This was more serious than he'd imagined. "Hey, it's ok man. It's alright." Nick sat down next to Blaine, wrapping his arms around the other boy in a hug.

The darker haired boy tensed up, more than Kurt had earlier and froze briefly before curling into his friend's arms, letting Nick embrace him. He wasn't crying so far, that was a good sign. "See? It's ok. You're at Dalton now. You're safe here and no one can or will hurt you."

Blaine nodded but that didn't mean he believed it yet. It wasn't easy to get him out of this state. He was somewhat fragile in this state, remembering even…Usually he pushed the memories away so when they came and stayed? It hit harder.

They sat like that for a while, relaxing, comforting, cuddling. There was no romantic interest. They were very much just friends, best friends, but just friends...That happened to remind Nick of the first time Jeff found out that the best way to calm Blaine down was through physical affection. He smiled at his best friend, he was such a puppy. But Jeff didn't think of it quite like that...

* * *

_The first time Jeff had seen Nick cuddled up with Blaine it hadn't gone over well. Blaine hadn't opened up to many people at that point, just Wes and Nick, so Jeff didn't have any idea. Needless to say he wasn't pleased._

_Jeff had stormed out and refused to talk to either of them. Blaine had been concerned as they had just started to sort of admit things to each other and this wasn't exactly going to help anything. Nick told him to hush and just relax. He told him that it would all be ok. He stayed with him until Blaine calmed down more and even then he'd asked Wes to come over before he went to talk to Jeff._

_"Wanna tell me what the hell that was all about?" Nick questioned as he stood in Jeff's doorway._

_"I should be asking you the same thing." He scoffed; turning his attention back to the book he had open, pretending to do homework._

_The brunette sighed and shook his head. "It's not what you think Jeff. You're overreacting."_

_"Overreacting?" The Aussie questioned in disbelief. "I find you cuddling with another guy, another GAY guy and you tell me it's not what I think? Really then, what was it?"_

_"He had a flashback Jeff…" Nick said softly, looking at the other boy. He didn't know the whole story yet, he wasn't sure when or if he ever would, but all he knew is that it wasn't positive._

_His kinda-sorta-not entirely-but maybe boyfriend looked at him. "A flashback?"_

_"Yea Jeff. A flashback. He was bullied at his old school ya know. I was just trying to calm him down. He's a bit of a cuddle whore when he's upset. I've learned that by now as I kinda live with him. Yes he's another guy. Yes he's gay but…"_

_"But what?"_

_"But I won't every have eyes for anyone but you ok?" He said blushing. Nick Duvall you're a smooth man…he shook his head at that thought. But it did solve the problem and they made up…or made out as David would point out with a grin later._

* * *

Back in the present…after the cuddling had gone on for over a half hour, he decided to try and break the silence that had "So…you gonna tap that?" Nick asked, breaking the long silence and trying to make his friend relax, perhaps giggle.

Unfortunately that didn't sit well with the curly haired teen and he immediately stood up, pushing Nick away and began gathering his things. Not the right moment or right thing to say…Wasn't the worst by any means but not the best either.

"Come on Blainers! I'm just kidding! I didn't mean it for real. I was just trying to make you smile." _I've been spending too much with Jeff… _"It'd be nice to see you happy for once. It's not like you've ever had a boyfriend before. And and o god I'm starting to sound like Jeff…"

"Well not everyone is as lucky as you and Jeff." He replied, attempting to walk out of the room and away from Nick. Owing to his athletic nature, Blaine got away quickly and went up to his room, slamming the door. The boys on the hall knew this meant someone was fighting.

"Damnit Blaine…" Nick muttered to himself as he chased after him. I know that. But main point – if you're trying to get away from your roommate you're going to have to try a little bit harder." The brunette smirked as he shut the door after him.

This is where he found his lovely roomie facedown on the bed. A sigh from Nick this time as he sat down next to him. "But seriously B. It's not a bad thing if you like him. Or even if you feel comfortable with him. It's all progress. It's not bad to like someone." The other boy said encouragingly.

"Easy for you to say. You're in a relationship already…" Blaine mumbled into the pillow.

"But we weren't always and you know that! You're one of the ones who helped us get together. Come on now. I know we can get annoying sometimes but seriously man. It's ok."

"I don't like him…" Blaine protested once more as Nick rolled his eyes, grateful B couldn't see it right now.

"Ok ok fine…I'll drop it for now but we are talking about this later Blaine."

"No, we're not!" And that was the last of the conversation between the two boys for the night. Shortly thereafter Nick went to see his boyfriend to give Blaine some space. The other boy reluctantly got up and took a shower after that before doing some homework. Eventually he called it quits and laid down in bed, praying for a dreamless night…

* * *

The day was par for the course at Dalton so far. The morning of rigorous classes that started far too early for most any of the student's liking. Blaine had done his best to pay attention but occasionally he got just a bit distracted. Thankfully math was at the end of the day so he didn't have to worry about another lecture yet. Honestly he was just happy to have met Kurt. It was great to find another guy who knew what things were like. _Gees Blaine, that's a terrible thought! I'm not happy Kurt has been bullied but it's nice to have someone get it. I know the guys here at Dalton, at least the Warblers, a lot of them are here for a reason. But…something's different about him…_

It was this on Blaine's mind as he entered class with Jeff. Now Nick could keep a secret that's for sure. That's why he was one of Blaine's best friends. But when it came to things that weren't exactly secrets…well things tended to come out in the bedroom. Nick and Jeff talking, relaxing, and they talked about their days. They talked about what was on their minds and who. It wasn't that Blaine came up in the bedroom in that sense. As Nick would say, 'God no! You're like a brother to me Blaine. Just because I swing that way and so do you does NOT mean I'm interested!' To which Blaine would reply 'Right back at you bro.' And receive laughter, noogies and more.

Back to the point, Blaine entered class upon seeing a smirk from Jeff. He wasn't sure what the hell it meant but it was history and they were currently working on projects so he knew he'd find out. An hour with Jeff and that grin? Couldn't be good…

The teacher had told them to just go into their pairs "So uh, I hear that you have a new boyfriend." The Aussie wiggled his eyebrows.

"Really? Nick tell you that? It's not true at all Jeff. He's just exaggerating things." He also mumbled something along the lines of 'just because your boyfriend tells you something doesn't mean that it's true…'

That didn't deter him at all. "Then who was that new kid watching us sing the other day?"

Blaine sighed at this. Jeff was awfully persistent. He meant well but it was just his personality…."He was just a kid from another school, looking at Dalton."

"Yea but I hear you guys clicked or something." He didn't want to hurt Blaine with all the teasing. That was the opposite of his intent. In fact, Nick said Blaine'd had a hard time the other night and he was just curious. He thought maybe talking about it would help.

"We did click Jeff but not romantically. I just met the guy. Why are you guys so insistent?"

The blonde shrugged, unable to put it in words. "It's just…it just seemed like there's something between you guys. Plus there was that last time we played truth or dare."

"Come on! Will I never live truth or dare down? Can you really trust what I said when I was drunk?"

Jeff grinned at that and patted him on the back. "Of course we can man! It's when you're most truthful. You said, and I'm quoting this:  
_**"**O god I want a boyfriend soooooooo bad. And and I wanna like, serenade him.**"**_

Then Thad was all: _"Like sing to him? Sing a romantic song?"_  
And YOU, Mr. Romance, said: _"Totally! Yea! That's exactly what I wanna do. And it'll be love at first sight. Because that's how it goes you know."_ "

The Aussie snickered, looking at his curly haired companion. "You're such a romantic Blaine!"

"O shut up! How does that even play into things? And how do you remember this stuff? You were drunk too!" _If only he would forget...then he couldn't use it against me later!_

Jeff stuck his tongue out. "I'll have you know I have an excellent memory. Besides, I think singing _Teenage Dream _while eye-fucking him qualifies as serenading Blainey boy."

After hearing it put that way, Blaine couldn't help but be shocked. "WHAT?" He was grateful when the whole class turned around to look at him that he hadn't protested the description of 'eye-fucking' even if it wasn't true…

"Is there a problem Mr. Anderson?" Mr. Hembree questioned, looking directly at the source of the outburst.

Blaine gulped as he looked back at Jeff briefly, glaring, before turning his attention to the teacher who called him out. "No sir, not at all." He always tried to be polite to his teachers, even under such…unusual circumstances.

"Something you'd like to share with the class then?" He questioned, eyeing Blaine carefully. It wasn't like the boy to burst out in class. he was generally quiet, well-mannered and one of the brightest boys in his courses. So why the sudden outburst? He had to admit he was rather curious.

Definitely not, Blaine thought as Jeff snickered. He kicked his friend before shaking his head at the teacher, putting on his best regretful look. "No sir. My apologies sir. It won't happen again."

The man looked at Blaine carefully, "See that it doesn't or next time you'll be telling the class just what it was."

This definitely got through that helmet of gel. "Of course sir." He said as class resumed once more.

Jeff was still grinning madly at him, refusing to stop even with the kick. "Shut up..." Blaine muttered and turned back to their assignment, refusing to discuss anything else. If they just met and the boys were already starting this? Then o god...he'd be in for it...big time…

* * *

Kurt knew he should be paying attention to the girls performance. ESPECIALLY because Mercedes was currently singing and not Rachel. _Don't get me wrong. I love Rachel. I do. We're both destined for greatness as she puts it. But Mercedes is my girl too…except for the whole smashing my window thing. That was last year. I've already forgiven it._But when he felt that buzz in his pocket? He couldn't resist.

The buzzing distracted him from the performance so he had to answer it. It could be his dad, right? It could be important. That's what he was telling himself at least…though when he looked at the screen he smiled. He couldn't help it. That one word had so much meaning behind it. There was so much power. Courage…he never thought he had courage. He didn't think he'd be able to do it. But after talking with Blaine? Maybe there was hope. Maybe…

* * *

After their Glee period was over, he walked out, finally able to check his phone properly. He couldn't get that silly smile off his face that he was pretty sure looked ridiculous but he didn't care. He felt safe. He felt wanted. He felt happy. He had the courage. That one word from Blaine meant so much. They had just met but he already had such an impact. One text and he was smiling like a loon.

Suddenly, that was put to the test. Karofsky knocked his phone out of his hands and slammed him against his locker. Normally he would just let it slide but this time it was different.

Kurt ran down the hall after him, screaming. "HEY!" He was determined not to let this happen anymore. He was SICK of it. Maybe if he finally confronted him it'd be better…

"I AM TALKING TO YOU!"

"Girls' locker room's next door." Karofsky said coolly, not turning around.

He couldn't believe this. "What is your problem?" It was like this was nothing. It clearly bothered him otherwise he wouldn't be bullying him!

"Excuse me?" Dave questioned, still somewhat calm but he wouldn't be able to hold it up for long.

"What are you so scared of?" Kurt questioned, trying to figure it out. WHAT was it that bothered him so damn much about him?

"Besides you sneakin in here and peak at my junk?"

Of course that was it. Of course. "O yea every straight guy's nightmare, that all us gays are secretly out to molest and convert you. " He shook his head. Why did they even go there? "Well guess what ham hock? You're Not My Type.

Karofsky advanced. "That right?"

"Yea. I don't do the chubby boys who sweat too much and are gonna be bald by the time they're 30." Damn while he was scared it felt GOOD to let it out.

"DON'T push me Hummel." Now the jock advanced upon him and Kurt didn't back down.

"You gonna hit me? Do it." Why? Because it didn't matter anymore. He'd heal and it would finally resolve some of this maybe.

"Don't PUSH ME!"

"Hit me cause it's not going to change who I am. You can't punch the gay out of me anymore than I can punch the ignoramus out of you."

"GET OUTTA MY FACE!"

"You are NOTHING but a scared little boy who can't handle how extraordinarily ordinary you are!

And then it happened. His first kiss. His first kiss from this sweaty, ugly, disgusting jock. The bully that had been tormenting him for over a year now. And what did he do? He stood there. In shock. For once in his life he was speechless.

* * *

_**O noes! **_What will happen next? haha. Well we basically already have an idea of what happened next but what ELSE will happen next? What other allusions will there be towards Blaine's mysterious inner demons? Blangst! ahead folks! No fears! I'm not sure when it'll come but little bits and pieces will make themselves known through out. Loves to you all!

**Fair warning**: I start my last course of my CDA tomorrow (Monday, 5/14) so updates may or may not be less frequent. I am not sure. It all depends on the schedule for my course and what it entails. On the bright side? It's only a 6-week course. =D Thanks a ton guys!

Always remember: It gets better.


	4. Bullying, Boxing and BS

I know! I know! I'm a meanie for stopping there last chapter. But really? We've all seen GLEE and if you haven't seen NBK before then well you've already had some spoilers and the episode has been out for over a year. Easy to find on megavideo. Hehe. Love to all my readers! Thank you SO much guys!

Especially **Carbon65 **again because she had such a lovely review and helped me with so much! Without her, Blaine would not have known what to say Also to **BGabes** for reviewing upon request and cheering me up! Thanks for everyone who reviewed!

Picking up where we left off…;)

Disclaimer: I own nothing. If you recognize it, it's not mine. GLEE belongs to RIB and Fox, otherwise there would be much more Klaine...

* * *

After the shock wore off, he pushed Karofsky away. He was disgusted. He was appalled. And he was confused. Karofsky…the boy who'd been bullying him…was gay?

Kurt stepped back further, putting his hand over his mouth, completely shocked. His first kiss was stolen by this…this beast! He couldn't even think about anything else. He just stood there, shaking, scared. He wasn't sure what would happen next. Karofsky stormed out of the locker room but that didn't fix anything. He still felt…assaulted. He felt like something had been taken away from him. It wasn't JUST a kiss. It was his first kiss. And one that was forced upon him. It just wasn't right…

Once he managed to move himself, he ran, far away, fast as he could. He didn't even know where he was running but it wasn't there. He ended up in the parking lot, at this car and climbed into it, locking the doors behind him. He would be safe in here…no one could get him.

Locked away safely, Kurt wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to drive around, drive somewhere, anywhere. He was afraid if he stayed at the school then he would get found again…so he drove. He drove around aimlessly for about 20 minutes before finally stopping because he felt like he wasn't going to be safe until he wasn't at school, until he wasn't somewhere predictable. Unable to contain it anymore, he pulled out his phone and dialed the first number that popped into his head.

* * *

Blaine was currently in study hall, dutifully doing his homework like the preppy little nerd that he was, as Jeff liked to remind him. All of the boys at Dalton had to do enough homework/study to pass but they were still teenagers…However, it wasn't long before something distracted him from his work. He was startled to receive a phone call during school hours when he did but thankfully it was on silent. He looked around to see that the teacher wasn't looking in his direction at the moment before glancing at his phone. The caller ID read: "Kurt". The boy knew not to call him before the end of Warbler's rehearsal, per Wes' insane rules and strictness, so it HAD to be important. He was in school himself, wasn't he? He knew he couldn't let it go unanswered.

The studious boy walked up to the desk, pocketing his phone before he did. "Pardon me sir, may I go to the restroom?" That always worked. Nurse required actually being sick or being able to pull it off enough, generally with planning. Though he could improv if necessary, he disliked faking illness. This was the best situation, as you could not tell someone they didn't need to go.

The teacher clearly didn't see any issue with the matter as he nodded and handed Blaine the bathroom pass, which the boy thanked him for before darting off. He walked quickly to the little boys' room and checked the stalls before answering. He had been concerned because the phone stopped ringing as he'd taken too long; but Kurt had called a second time so he answered. "Kurt! Hey, what's going on?" He said quietly, locking himself in one of the stalls.

On the other end the brunette sniffed and sounded as though he'd been crying. "Blaine? I'm sorry to bother you…"

He shook his head. "Nonsense. Something's clearly wrong. What's going on? You can tell me anything."

Kurt seemed to take this as an invitation as he sobbed loudly into the phone. "He just…I couldn't leave well enough alone. It's my fault. It's all my fault."

"What's going on Kurt? I'm sure it's not your fault." The curly-haired-one assured.

"You can't know that Blaine. You can't. It is. It's all my fault. I should've just accepted it like always and moved on." He insisted, sounding extremely distraught.

_I know it's not…_Blaine thought to himself, remembering how insistent he'd been and how long it'd taken him before he could begin to accept it…and sometimes he still couldn't…But no. He didn't need to think about himself right now. _You're so selfish Blaine!_His mind scolded, trying to get his head back into mentor mode. "Please tell me what happened Kurt. If I can't judge now then I'll be able to after. You called me for a reason. Have courage Kurt. Talking helps." He spoke, remembering Wes' words to him back in his beginning days of Dalton.

For a moment he hesitated, likely unsure if he wanted to really tell Blaine what happened but as Blaine's logic won out, the fashionista began to spill. "He kissed me. Karofsky. H-he…he'd pushed me against my locker...I mean that's nothing new…" He said, hesitating there. "But…O god Blaine he kissed me. He insulted me all this time and then he kissed me…" The taller one broke down into tears over the phone. This was something he hadn't done in a long time…It wasn't easy to make Kurt Hummel cry.

Blaine was furious. He would NOT let this stand…Something had to be done.

* * *

"You're going to what?" Wes asked incredulously. He had been looking for a very distracted Blaine when he'd reached the end of his list, finally going to the gym. It was where the younger boy would go when he couldn't use his word to express his feelings or thoughts. He had been silent almost during the Warblers rehearsal earlier and that was highly unusual. He looked like he was fuming and deeply lost in thought. Now he was down to shorts and a tank, beating up the punching bag in front of him. He was picturing Karofsky in its place…

"I'm going to help him Wes." He said, clearly determined, as he gave the bag another good whack.

"You cannot skip school Blaine! Even if it's just for a short while. Lima is TWO hours away! You would need to miss the entire day! How do you propose to pull that off? Not to mention you'd miss Warblers Rehearsal! Even if you did get back in time for it then you'd have to miss it. According to school rules you must be here for at least half the day in order to participate in extracurricular activities. In the case of boarders, that means attending half of your courses."

Blaine shed him and rolled his eyes, outwardly dismissing Wes other than his volume. But honestly he'd been concerned about the issue himself. Not to mention the fact that he couldn't get himself down there…another reason he was talking to the older boy. "Come on Wes! It's a big deal! Kurt doesn't just call me and ask me to come help him if he didn't have to. I know you hardly know him…" He began but was cut off by his older friend.

"Blaine YOU hardly know him…you met him just a short time ago and you're already willing to drop everything and go running? While I'm happy you've finally found another friend, especially a gay boy, outside of Dalton, I don't think you should be running off making rash decisions!" Wes honestly did care and Blaine knew it. Wes was often the peacemaker or Blaine. Wes was the voice of logic. There's a reason he held the gavel…even if he did love that gavel a little too much…anyone say abuse of power? Poor gavel, getting worked so hard…

The Sophomore lowered his voice, eyes darting around to make sure no one could hear them. "What I'm about to tell you does NOT leave the two of us. You can't even tell David. Swear, ok? Kurt doesn't want anyone to know."

The Councilman eyed the Lead Soloist suspiciously, uncertain of what it was. Not even being allowed to tell David…that meant it was serious, or Blaine was being paranoid unnecessarily. "Blaine…If he's in danger we have to report it. If he's a danger to himself we've got to do more as well. I know when you were going through a rough patch…"

This time it was Wes' turn to be silenced. "He's not me. And his situation isn't mine, mine wasn't/isn't his. But…he's being bullied ok? He…he was kissed. This idiotic jock pushed him into his locker and then Kurt followed him. Apparently he took my texts to heart…" He said, sighing at the thought.

"What did you say?" He questioned, uncertain of what he could've said short of confront him that would be taken in such a manner.

"I told him what you told me. Courage. It worked for me Wes and it seemed appropriate…" _What else was I supposed to say?_

"What did he do?" The elder boy questioned, trying to figure out if Blaine had given the wrong advice or just too vague.

Blaine grabbed the bag, stopping it and turned around to look at Wes. "He assaulted him. He KISSED him after screaming in his face and bullying him! It's wrong! So wrong! Goddammit Wes he doesn't deserve it! No one does…" He spoke, getting quiet towards the end.

Thoughts flew through the older Warbler's mind. He was grateful when Blaine clarified what he meant; thankful it was JUST a kiss. But he knew it wasn't JUST anything at the exact same time. It WAS assault. It WAS forced. The boy clearly didn't have a choice from Blaine's words, especially his tone. Blaine sounded so angry…but that voice…that little tiny voice at the end there scared him the most. He knew how broken Blaine had been when he arrived…he knew how screwed up he was for a multitude of reasons…He sighed. "Alright…I'm in."

He smiled a sad but grateful smile and hugged the older boy. "Thank you so much! You don't know how much this means to me! And to him. And …wait…" Blaine paused, releasing his friend, confused now. "What do you mean you're in?"

Wes shook his head. "Honestly Blainers don't you think of anything? You don't have your license…how would you get there? You'll need someone to drive you…"

The smile dropped and tears began forming. "Wes…"

Again the councilman shook his head. "It's nothing Blaine. It's just fine. I'm happy to help." He said kindly and quietly, smiling gently at the boy before him. He'd come a long way from that broken little freshman that had shown up last year…"Now come on. Let's go plan how we're going to do this." Wes said, starting to walk off. He paused and tossed the other boy his towel. "And Blaine?"

Blaine hurried to catch up but Wes thankfully stopped. "Yea?"

"Don't hug me when you're sweaty and I'm not. It's disgusting…" And with that, the older Warbler walked off to devise a plan.

* * *

"Thanks again for coming." Kurt said quietly, extremely grateful for the other boy's presence.

The Warbler dismissed the apology. No need for it after all. "Don't worry about it. Just let me do the talking."

"There he is." Kurt said quietly to Blaine, hoping to warn him before something happened.

"I've got your back." The younger boy said firmly. He was NOT happy about this situation at all. Karofsky was going to hear that!

He took a deep breath. Here we go…"Excuse me."

"Hey lady boys" Karosfsky scoffed, dismissing them instantly. "This your boyfriend?"

"Kurt and I would like to talk to you about something." He could tell that Kurt wasn't sure what to make of that question. Quite frankly Blaine wasn't either

"I gotta go to class." _That's bullshit. Kurt already told me you two had the same lunch, that's why I'm here now._

"Kurt told me what you did." _And it's despicable! I cannot BELIEVE you pulled something like that and ASSAULTED him._

"Oh yea? What's that?" _What's that? WHAT'S THAT? I'LL fucking tell you what's that…and he would've, if it weren't for what happened next…_

In one of the quietest voices Blaine could come to hear from Kurt, the fashionista replied, "You kissed me." _It KILLED Blaine to hear him sound so defeated…_

Another scoff but this time Karofsky looked around, trying to figure out if anyone heard that. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Blaine recognized that look. He tried to take the high road here. This guy might really need help. He wouldn't forgive him for what he did to Kurt anytime soon, if ever, but he could help him and prevent it from happening again. Maybe. "It seems like you might be a little confused." He saw that the boy was hesitating now. Maybe this would make a difference. "And it's totally normal." He'd been confused. Hell sometimes he still was. He knew he liked boys but…there was just something there. A desire to be accepted…

Karofsky started walking off. He clearly didn't want to talk about this. Did he think ignoring them would work? "This is a very hard thing to come to terms with and you should just know that you're not alone.

"You do NOT mess with me!" Dave yelled as he pushed Blaine against the fence. Blaine just raised his hands in a surrender gesture.

"You have to stop this!" Kurt cried out, pulling Karofsky away from Blaine. It killed the younger boy to see him like that. So scared, trying to help HIM of all people. But luckily

Deciding to bring some levity to the situation, Blaine just went with what was on his mind. "Well he's not coming out anytime soon."

Kurt looked defeated even though Karofsky left. Perhaps it was more exhaustion in a sense from all of this. He put his bag down and just kind of gracefully flopped down on the stairs.

At this point Blaine was just taking it in stride. He was trying to make Kurt smile but it obviously hadn't worked. "What's goin on?" Blaine walked over and sat down next to him, putting a hand on his leg. "Why are you so upset?" It was terrible. And he understood Kurt being upset but why he seemed more upset now? He wasn't sure.

This was where Kurt made a confession that clearly meant a lot to him. "Because up until yesterday I had never been kissed." He paused, adding something shortly thereafter. "Or at least, one that counted."

Now he understood. This wasn't just a kiss. This was his FIRST kiss. But that was all a matter of perspective…this was forced! He knew he needed to help Kurt come to terms with it but now was not the time. Now was the time to try and make the boy feel better about himself. "Come on. I'll go buy you lunch." He encouraged the boy and got up, taking the lead out of habit. Shortly thereafter he'd realize he had no idea where he was going, but that was neither here nor there..

But what Blaine didn't notice was the glance that Kurt sent his way as they were leaving. A glance that most definitely meant something.

* * *

At the end of that day, Blaine was back at Dalton while Kurt remained at McKinley. Blaine didn't have his driver's license yet so he'd had to ask Wes to drive him, as is evident from their earlier conversation.

Once Lunch period was over, Kurt regrettably had to go to class. Blaine smiled at him as he was thanked again and replied that it was no trouble at all. "I'll call you later, ok?"

The older boy smiled and nodded, walking off after an encouraging squeeze of the hand from Blaine.

Once Kurt left, Blaine ran back to Wes' car, getting in and shutting the door.

"How'd it go?" The older boy questioned, buckling himself in and motioning for Blaine to do the same.

It took him a minute but Blaine finally buckled himself in and Wes drove off,

They stopped a red light and Wes groaned, taking the opportunity to bang his head on the steering wheel before the light changed again. "We are going to be in so much trouble if anyone finds out the truth…"

Blaine smiled and patted Wes on the shoulder as the other boy drove once more. "Thanks Wes…"

"Thank me later when we've finished going through sheet music we should've had hours to look at…" The Councilman scolded his Lead Vocalist. It was the excuse he'd had to use. He was lucky they were leaders in their own ways within the group and both responsible. Had either had a track record of lying, Dalton would've been more hesitant. It also didn't hurt that the Warblers were like Rockstars, no that wasn't an exaggeration, and that both boys had turned on the charm.

Now it was Blaine's turn to groan but he laughed afterwards. _This is gonna be so fun…_He thought sarcastically but he thought back to the nature of his visit. "To help Kurt? I'd do anything…"

After Blaine had left Kurt cut out some letters from a magazine, from his first text from Blaine. His first real text…the one that inspired him so much. He wanted to always remember the world so he must put it somewhere important. Considering school was where he needed it the most, why not his locker?

Even after Karofsky slammed him into said locker and knocked him down…he still had that photo. That word. The constant reminder to be brave. The constant reminder that he had it in him and not only did he know it, but someone else did too. Someone finally believed in him! It was…amazing. It didn't hurt that said guy was attractive and sweet…and o god. He was completely captivated by him…But no. He just had a hero complex. Blaine stood up to Karofsky for him! It was a big deal…but he just…something just felt so…right when he was around him. He shook his head. Maybe he just needed to sleep on it and then he'd see things clearly…maybe…or maybe he already was…

* * *

**A/N****: **I've made an important decision. I'll restate this at the top of chapter four just in case, but I think I should let you all know. This is going to stay canon up until the part where Kurt transfers back to McKinley…yea…Not gonna happen. Kurtie's gonna stay at Dalton with his honey. Mmmk. Will detail more next time! ~ Ta! Please review if you like! Lemme know your thoughts!

And sorry for the delay! Subbing killed my time combined with the new class and just life. But things should be slowing down again now I hope! I've got bits and pieces of other chapters written and lots of ideas! This is far from being done. The next chapter should be up much faster than this one! Reviews help. ;) Thanks again guys!


	5. Sheet Music and stiX

Reminder folks! I said I would be going AU after a certain point. I will let you know where that happens. ^^

Woo! Finally moving along a little…skipping bit here. I feel as though it's needed otherwise it'll drag on a bit.

I should just dedicate this whole story to **Carbon65** and **pi . on . a . skateboard **(without the spaces) at this rate! I think I shall. These two lovely ladies have put up with SO much from me in writing this story and I STILL have a chapter or one shot I need to work in from the second's prompt way back when. These two are my rock and amazing writer friends. Without them, I would be screwed, sad and updating much less often (scary, right?). So love to you ladies! Thank you so much!

Disclaimer: I don't own GLEE. That belongs to RIB and Fox. If I did, things would be more like this…

* * *

Getting back had been an ordeal. Wes meant it when he said they were to stop at music stores to look at quite a bit of sheet music for the upcoming Sectionals competition. Then Wes wanted to look at things to see if anything popped out for Regionals as well. He gave a lecture on never being too prepared. Blaine simply nodded and groaned as soon as he thought Wes was out of earshot. That simply earned him an "I heard that!" Which did nothing to stop him from whining.

After enough searching through Show Choir songs, Wes decided they might as well look for songs for the Chapel Choir. Being part of the Chamber Choir wasn't required for the Warblers but quite a few of them were part of it. It was more traditional but it was an entirely different kind of music and environment. And did they need music? They always needed music! Wes and Blaine both did arranging so it was completely logical that they would be the ones looking for music. That was exactly what he was doing here, in one of how many music shops he couldn't even keep track of, looking at copies of music from composers dead before he was even born. It wasn't that he had something against older music or these composers. Quite the opposite really. Blaine loved them too. He was such a nerd and he knew it. But today? He'd just spend some time helping out Kurt, been shoved against a fence, eaten crappy public high school cafeteria food and now he was searching for music hours later.

"Wesssss." He whined, looking at him. Blaine could be incredibly mature sometimes and such a child at others. It was baffling and amusing, depending on the situation.

"What is it Blaine?" The Asian questioned, glaring at the boy.

"Are we done yet? We've been at this for HOURS and we've still got a two-hour drive, one that YOU have to make. Can't we be finished? Pleaseee." He begged, giving him puppy dog eyes.

He sighed. There no use. He was getting frustrated himself and Blaine was getting cranky. "Alright alright. We're done. And don't you start on me about the driving. After your driving lessons you should pass the test soon enough. On your sixteenth birthday we are taking you and you will pass. Understood Anderson?"

"Yes, sir. Mr. Montgomery, sir!" Blaine teased and Wes rolled his eyes, paying for what he wanted and then dragging him off.

They made it back to campus about two, two and a half hours later after arguments, tension and quite a bit of sheet music later. Wes took it to the Warbler's room and shooed Blaine off to go study.

* * *

A few hours, much studying and writing later, Blaine was finally done. However he'd drifted off without realizing it and seemed to be having a nightmare when Wes found him…He'd been coming to return a book that was late. Wesley Montgomery! Late on a library book! He sighed. He was ashamed of himself. After dropping it off at the desk, he'd decided to check and see how Blaine was doing on his homework. He hadn't planned on it but since he was there, he decided to make a stop at the boy's usual stop. It was then he saw him.

The older boy walked over and kneeled by the sleeping vocalist carefully. "Blaine…" The Senior said quietly, calling to him. "Blaine…" At first he didn't imagine it was that bad. He thought that perhaps it was just a rather intense dream as Blaine was prone to have regardless.

"I'm sorry. So sorry…" The younger boy cried quietly, apologizing to whomever it was.

It broke Wes' heart hearing that because he had a feeling who or what it was about. "Blaine, it's ok. It's me. It's Wes. You're at Dalton." He shook him gently, hoping he would wake this time.

"Please, no. I'm sorry. I won't do it again…" He begged, still clearly lost in the dream world.

This time Wes shook him a bit harder. "Blaine. Blaine."

"Please. Stop! NO!" he cried out and Wes just pulled him into a hug, desperately hoping that touch, if nothing else, would work. At first the soloist thrashed in his arms, trying to get out but Wes wouldn't let go. He just kept holding onto his young friend, quietly telling him that it was Wes, and that they were at Dalton.

A little bit later he finally slowed down and opened his eyes properly. He looked up at the person holding him and blinked. _Wes…_

The older boy smiled at him sadly but softly. It was amazing how Wes could be different himself. At Warbler rehearsals he was the leader of the council, the one with the gavel. He was in charge. To those that needed it, he was a counselor in his own right. He held them, he talked to them, he listened. To his friends he was silly, crazy Wes who they sometimes weren't sure should have that gavel. To those quite close to him, a select few, he'd show his vulnerable side too. Right now, he was guiding Blaine. The younger boy came to him sometimes for help but this time he'd just happened to stumble upon him. He couldn't be more grateful. He wasn't sure how Blaine would've reacted to a stranger trying to wake him from his nightmare…"You were lost in your own mind again Blaine. Glad to see you back."

"Sorry…" He started before Wes cut him off.

"Hey. I'm not the person in your dreams. I'm Wes. I'm here to listen Blaine and you know that. No need to be sorry. You can come to me anytime, alright? You know that."

The curly-haired boy nodded, leaning into Wes for comfort. Blaine was such a tactile person it could be ridiculous. _Dapper my ass._ Wes thought, stopping himself from snorting. _He's just a big little kid and that's exactly who he should be. _But the important part was that Blaine was coming back to the present and he wasn't alone.

He would ask if the young boy wanted to talk about it but he generally had a sense about these things. He knew now wasn't the time. "Come on. Let's pack up your things and get you back to your dorm. You've got class in the morning and being tired won't make it any more tolerable." With that, Wes helped Blaine pack his things up into his satchel and helped the sleepy boy back to his dorm room.

He'd never been more grateful to forget something…

* * *

Thankfully after that night, things seemed to be calming down. Nothing special seemed to happen. Needless to say two days later they were quite surprised when they were called to the Headmaster's office.

"Let's get straight to the point, shall we?" The headmaster offered, gesturing for both boys to sit down.

"While you boys did seem to buy sheet music the other day, as the receipts Mr. Montgomery provided shows, it seems as though it was awfully late in the day and Lima…"

Wes took the lead before Blaine had a chance to say anything. "I know sir. I know exactly what you're thinking. You gave us the day off school and then you see nothing from us until the afternoon. I apologize for the delay and the distant location. We considered the usual places but then we felt perhaps a new store would provide new songs or some new ideas. Lima is two hours away sir and I am aware of that. I am not asking for fuel reimbursement on this one. I simply thought it would be good for a change of pace." The Senior declared, finishing his statement.

"Are you done Mr. Montgomery?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at the boy in front of him.

Nodding, he shut his mouth. He hadn't been sure if he should've spoken that much but he did. Blaine just looked at Wes incredulously. He basically cut off the Headmaster. That wasn't something that most anyone was willing to do.

Thankfully the Headmaster was more patient than that. "I see. Well Mr. Montgomery you were allowed most of the day off as you said you'd return as soon as you finished yet you didn't. I'm not sure what should be done about that. What do YOU think Mr. Anderson?" He questioned, turning to Blaine.

Uh oh. Blaine HATED lying to the headmaster of all people. With most teachers, and people, he could be the dapper Mr. Anderson and all would be fine. If he really liked someone though, if he really respected them, then he had a hard time lying. Headmaster Robbins had given him a second chance upon accepting him. The younger boy squirmed in his seat and Wes knew they were doomed. "Well you see…" He couldn't do it. He couldn't. "There were extenuating circumstances sir. I promise we weren't fooling around. I dragged Wesley into it because I don't have a license and well I can't tell you everything because I promised but it was really important…and we did buy sheet music!" The younger boy babbled, looking at him.

This was another one of those moments where it was almost comical the differences in Blaine. He could be polite, quiet, dapper Mr. Anderson at moments while others he was just Blaine, a kid. But, considering it was Blaine speaking rather than young Mr. Anderson, he decided to let it go for the moment. "Alright boys…I'll let you off with a warning. But if something is going on then you need to talk to someone about it. You come to me or one of the teachers if there are problems. Understood?"

Both boys nodded, visibly relaxed.

"Alright. You may go then." Relief beyond relief, they stood up and headed to the door.

But they were stopped briefly. "O, and Blaine?"

The tenor paused before turning around to look at him. "Yes, sir?"

"Make an appointment with the Ms. Robinson. I think it would do you good to talk to her."

His response was a "Yes sir." Before walking out of the office. But as soon as the door was closed and they were far enough away, he groaned. He'd just been told to make an appointment with the school shrink.

* * *

Thankfully he had other things to distract him from that and he made sure it wasn't too close. He was busy after all. Busy avoiding her…Despite the little warning, Blaine and Kurt continued to hang out. He didn't skip school anymore though. They went out for coffee. They went to see RENT. They did quite a few things and it was amazing. Blaine had such a great time with it. In fact, he was having a great time. Then Kurt had an idea on one of their phone calls. "Well Mercedes is just so lonely! She's jealous of our budding friendship I'm sure so I thought maybe we should bring her along to dinner! It would be lovely for you two to finally meet! I mean I briefly met your friends during coffee so why not?"

The Warbler sighed. "I dunno Kurt…I'm just not sure what we'd all talk about…I mean I'd be happy to meet your friends it's just…"

"Then it's settled." He wouldn't take no for an answer. Blaine groaned. This was settled awfully quickly…and he had a feeling it wouldn't be as simple this evening either. And he was honestly nervous. Meeting one of Kurt's best friends? Kindddd of a big deal.

* * *

Dinner was…interesting to say the least. Blaine had been quite nervous but he'd quickly fallen into a smooth conversation with Kurt. Mercedes, however, did not seem to be having the same time.

"I'm just saying drunk people who got married an hour ago by an Elvis impersonator. I mean that's a bigger insult to marriage than two gay guys getting hitched." Kurt went on excitedly.

"Totally, it's like if marriage is so sacred they should just outlaw divorce." Blaine agreed without hesitation. It was completely true! Straight people made a mockery of marriage and complained about others getting the chance to do it right!

Ooo! Kurt was giddy now. Blaine was dreamy and he cared so much about the community! "Right, right, right."

"What do you think Mercedes?" The Dalton boy questioned, trying to include her in the conversation. Kurt invited her…but he wasn't doing a good job of keeping her involved. Maybe if he tried?

Shit. She hadn't been paying attention. "O, uh, about Don't Ask, Don't Tell?"

"No we're on Prop 8 now." Kurt replied helpfully. Blaine wanted to smack him for that. It sounded a little condescending…

"Totally for it." She said, not even sure what it was. Honestly, it didn't seem like she cared.

"Against It." Kurt corrected with a smile on his face that was eerily annoying as though she DEFINITELY needed to know what everything was. But not everyone was into politics…some people preferred to support differently. Blaine liked the kid, he really did. He was cool, a little annoying sometimes, but cool. He totally didn't get where Nick and Jeff were coming from suggesting they go out. Wes had smirked and David smiled but they didn't say as much. Thad looked sad…why was that? He thought that phase was over…Though their expressions still spoke volumes.

"Right" She said, giving a smile. "I'm Sorry. I kinda just blanked out." Clearly she'd lost interest somewhere during the conversation…

"No don't apologize. We should talk about stuff you're interested in too." He just wished he knew what that was.

And…this is where Kurt got overly excited. IF it were just the two of them, this would be fun for Blaine. He did have to admit it still was. But he felt bad for Mercedes. "Ok. I know. Let's play a game. On the count of three, name your favorite 2010 Vogue Cover. You ready? One, two, three."

"Marion Cotillard." They said unison, both boys getting giddy.

"OMG Yes! Stop it!" Blaine said excitedly. Ok maybe he was having fun…"She's amazing!"

"AMAZING!" Kurt echoed gleefully.

"Amazing."

"Amazing."

And they continued to talk a bit more but again, Mercedes clearly seemed to be lost…

"Mercedes? Mercedes?" Kurt asked, trying to get her attention.

Blaine tried to catch her up. "I was just talking about the Buckeyes...I'm a college football fan. I like sports too ya know." But she just nodded. And this was something he was honestly really into…he wasn't sure if she would be. It wasn't just a thing to say. Sometimes people assumed he wasn't really gay or wasn't really into sports. Was it THAT hard to believe that everyone didn't fit into a box?

Kurt was constantly awed by Blaine. He was into music, fashion, AND football? He was full of surprises. Though Kurt would never see the point in football, despite having briefly joined the team last school year…"O! Way to break the stereotype." He said, giggling and high fiving Blaine.

Then Mercedes flagged down their waitress, probably pleased to see someone perhaps more sane than the two of them arrive. "Excuse me, I know it's not on your menu but I was wondering if you guys had…"

"You want some tots." The waitress said, knowing what she was asking.

Mercedes nodded happily. Clearly this was what it was all about. Though why she wanted 'tots', Blaine couldn't understand. _They're just potatoes but whatever makes her happy._

"You guys must go to McKinley." The older woman said with a knowing smile as she walked off to get the order.

"So what were we talking about?" The diva questioned, finally happy.

That is, before Kurt started on something else that wasn't up the girl's alley. "Has anyone else read Patti LuPone's new book?"

Blaine rolled his eyes, which he realized shortly thereafter that may have given Mercedes the wrong impression. "I'm kidding. Of course I have!"

Both the gay boys laughed. "You scared so much there. I know…" And Mercedes tuned it out again…

The rest of the night went in a similar fashion, though Blaine did make attempts to get her into the conversation. Unfortunately, he didn't know what she was into and, admittedly, Kurt was rather distracting…He also had to admit he let him…But he still felt bad. At the end of things they all said their pleasant goodbyes and Mercedes happily drove back home, ready to get away from the boys.

Kurt didn't seem to notice this and bid her a fond farewell before turning back to Blaine.

Blaine on the other hand, insisted on walking her to her car and Kurt said he'd just wait at the door.

"You didn't have to do that. I'm sure you'd rather be talking to Kurt." The beautiful black girl insisted.

Being the gentleman he was, Blaine shook his head. "Nonsense. It's not a big deal. I just wanted to thank you again for coming. I was really glad to finally meet you. Ya know Kurt talks about you all the time."

She seemed surprised by that. "He does?"

Blinking, he nodded. "Of course. You're best friends, right? He always says 'O Mercedes and I just had this FABULOUS shopping trip.' Or 'She said the funniest thing!' And that kinda stuff."

"Wow…I mean…" She shrugged, looking back at Kurt who waved at her one more time. "He's been talking about you so much and hanging out with you that it seems like that's all he talks about lately." Mercedes admitted, not sure how Blaine would feel about that.

The younger boy just laughed. "I'm sorry about that. I guess we've been monopolizing each other's time a bit. My friends have been getting on me too. Sorry about that. And hey, I know you weren't necessarily enjoying yourself here tonight…" He started but Mercedes made a move to cut him off.

"Look prep school, you're reading too much into this. I just don't wanna lose my boo. He looks up to you. Hell he idolizes you. Just don't go screwin that up, alright?"

Blaine nodded, completely following her line of thought. But part of him sighed. _I mean I don't know why he would idolize me…I guess looking up but idolizing? I think she's taking it a bit far. Maybe he idolizes the Warblers. I could see that. Definitely. I mean we're popular, we're in GLEE and our school has a zero-tolerance bullying policy. Whereas McKinley puts GLEE on the bottom of the social ladder and bullying is rampant. I'm sure that's why she meant. _"Of course. Understood."

"Good. Now go back to that white boy and tell him to call me later." She ordered him as she unlocked her car, sliding in and putting her purse on the floor of the passenger side.

The Warbler consented without question but had one more thing to mention before he walked back. "Of course. And Mercedes?"

The diva turned back towards him, shutting her door and rolling her window down. "Hmm?"

"Next time you pick what we're doing and I'm on your side 100 %."

She just laughed and shook her head. "You're not so bad. See you later Prep School." With that Mercedes waved and drove off as he walked back towards Kurt, who was still standing in front of Breadstix waiting for him.

"You two have fun?" He teased, smiling at Blaine as the other returned.

He laughed. "Yea, she threatened me a bit but said I wasn't so bad."

"Ah. High praise from Mercedes." Kurt teased. "She cares quite a bit and I'm grateful for it. Like I've said before, the New Directions are one screwed up, incestuous family but we care about it each other…as twisted as it sounds."

He pondered that. It DID sound rather strange…but he got the general idea. A weird family…now he knew what that was like! "Nah. The Warblers are different certainly but they're kinda weird too. We're a bunch of boys who all go to Dalton for different reasons. Sure, most of them have been going to private school since they were in diapers, but even then some of them came to Dalton for sanctuary. Or found it there. It's kinda like Hogwarts but real." Blaine said with a bit of pride and wistfulness. There was definitely some underlying sadness that could be detected and blamed on his bullying. And that was definitely a part of it. But certainly not all…

Clearly the lead singer was happy so Kurt was happy too. He smiled at Blaine and hugged him before pulling back regretfully. "Unfortunately I've got to go. Curfew. My dad'll kill me if I break it. I'll see you again soon though?"

Also sad about the hug stopping, mostly because he was a tactile person, he nodded. "Definitely. I'll call or text you later and we'll figure something out. Wouldn't want your dad on my bad side." He joked, squeezing Kurt's hand one more time.

"See you Blaine! Thanks again for coming!" Kurt called, heading to his Navigator.

Blaine waved as the older boy walked off, glad he could be of help.

* * *

As soon as Kurt got into the car, Blaine pulled out his Phone. Texting time.

Blaine: Hey man. Thanks again for being my ride! We're done now if you'd be willing to pick me up.

Thad: Sure. No problem. I'll be there shortly. I was just at the Lima Bean. Want a coffee for the ride because I KNOW you have homework to do once we get back to Dalton…

Blaine cringed at the thought of all the work he had to do. It wasn't as much as it seemed but it was at the same time. Dalton wasn't exactly full of slackers.

Blaine: Yea please. I'm not sure how much sleep I'll get tonight but it was worth it.

Thad: Alright, see you shortly.

...

True to his word, About 15 minutes later Thad pulled up in front of BreadstiX, two coffees in the cup holder up front. He had to have one too since he was making the two hour drive back to Westerville.

Blaine smiled as the older boy approached and got in the car, picking up the coffee without hesitation and drinking it. It was bliss. "Thanks again Thad. For the driving and the coffee."

Thad locked the doors and looked around before driving off. "Not a problem Blaine. I'm just glad to see you hanging out with someone outside of Dalton's walls. Not that we're bad but you do need to branch out a little bit. The council agrees on this."

The curly haired one nearly spit out his coffee at that. "Please tell me the council isn't meeting to discuss my social life Thad. PLEASE."

Pretending to focus on driving, Thad ignored the question at first and focused on the road.

Blaine just groaned. Dinner with Kurt and Mercedes was great but now? Really? "Come on man! Are you serious?"

"You doubt my sincerity?" The straight-laced one questioned while glancing over at Blaine momentarily.

He rolled his eyes and pouted. "No…"

"Precisely." Thad spoke, returning his eyes back to the road and changing the conversation topic, or, rather altering it. "So you've been hanging out with this Kurt a lot. And we're all happy for you, don't get me wrong. But when are we going to meet him?"

Now he DID spit out his coffee, though thankfully not very much. "What?"

"You heard me. Wes and David got the chance to speak with him briefly during coffee afterward and we all saw him but we didn't get the chance to really speak. We'd like to see him again. You know, get to know him."

He couldn't believe this. Jeff and Nick gave him shit sure, but Thad? Really? Responsive Thad. Serious Thad? Councilman Thad? No-nonsense Thad? Ok no one in that group was no-nonsense ALL the time but still…"Uh, he's kinda busy…"

The older boy stopped at a red light and turned to the other, deadpanning. "You just hung out with him and had dinner with him Blaine. That excuse doesn't really work."

Sighing, the curly haired teen leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes and willing himself to sleep. He did not want to have this conversation right now. Not having had much coffee, Blaine fell asleep relatively quickly as Thad could deduce by the light snores coming from the younger boy soon enough.

Seeing he was asleep, Thad waited until he had the chance and pulled into a parking lot, making a quick phone call. "Hey Wes?" He questioned, just to be safe. You never knew who would actually answer someone else's phone in the dorms.  
"Yea it's Thad." He replied, upon confirming the identity of the person on the other end of the phone.

"No, no. Blaine's asleep. I can talk." Thad reassured.

"Yes, I agree. He will sleep through most anything." It was hilariously true. Blaine would sleep through so much. It was just the oddest things that would wake him up, phone calls weren't one of them.

"Mhmm." He responded in response to a continued discussion about Blaine's sleeping habits in all their strangeness.

Though he stepped in and changed the conversation shortly thereafter, eager to get back to Westerville. "I was thinking, you guys were right. We really DO need to get to know him better…" It would probably help things along and…The councilman paused as he heard an interesting response from the boy on the other end.  
"O? Really now? My god Wesley you're a genius!" He grinned. Wonderful idea! Though he was still going to scold the boys for letting Wes know. Or it was just Wes being Wes…Anyways. He didn't dwell on that when he couldn't be there in person yet. That would come later.

"Perfect, Absolutely perfect. Go ahead and give him a call then. I can't wait." Now Thad was eager for the upcoming event. It would be a great chance to get to know Kurt better!

"Yes, I better get driving now. We're about a half hour outside of Lima now." The drive couldn't end soon enough, but it'd made Blaine happy so it was worth it.  
"Alright. See you then. Bye." With that he hung up the phone and checked, before pulling back out on the road. Things were getting interesting…

* * *

_**SOON!**_ Our little baby penguin will be at Dalton with the boys! =33 HOORAY! I anticipate one, maybe two (we'll see) more chapters before addressing Furt however I see fit. Then DALTON! =33 Thanks for staying with me guys! Reviews are love!

One More Thing that perhaps I've neglected to remind you all. If you EVER need anyone to talk to then don't hesitate to do so! Get help if you need it but if I can be of service in any way I never mind listening. If not me, then find someone. Don't ever hold back. Just remember - **It Gets Better**


	6. Phone Calls, Mall Madness and Bday Bash!

After Thad and Wes got off the phone, Wes smirked. He knew that Thad was far enough out and how long it would take to get back to Dalton. He also knew roughly how far the Lima Bean was from Kurt's house. Blaine talked to him and David about Kurt since they all went to get coffee together. Blaine hadn't originally intended for either of the other boys to get Kurt's number, but Wes was kind of the go-to-guy for the Warbler boys. He figured that if Kurt needed someone to talk to and Blaine wasn't around, then Wes would be a good person to talk to. So he'd made sure both boys had each other's numbers. Normally, that would be it. But now? Now Wes decided to use that to his advantage…

He went to the Ks in his contacts, finding the one he wanted and pressing call rather quickly. He wanted to do this now so he could get back to his homework. That and so he could make sure that the younger boy wouldn't be busy with his own homework or family.

…

Kurt was surprised to say the least when the phone rang but he looked at it anyways. He had just pulled into his driveway so he wasn't doing anything inappropriate. Having Burt Hummel for a father made Kurt all too aware of everything that could possibly go wrong when driving. Thus the 'no texting or talking unless it was handsfree and not even then if you can help it' rule was enforced. But he was home now, even if still in the car, so he pulled the phone out.

The name on the phone surprised him: 'Wes (Warblers)'. He frowned. He'd met Wes briefly at coffee and he remembered Blaine said he was putting his number in there/giving it to Wes just in case Kurt needed to talk to someone. But why was Wes calling him? Was something wrong with Blaine? He'd just left…"Hello?"

"Kurt? This is Wes. From the Dalton Academy Warblers. I know Blaine gave you my number."

_In case of emergency…_Kurt thought, though he still didn't know what was so special about this boy that Blaine thought he could help if that happened. "Yes, he did. Though I don't think this is what he had in mind, unless this is important." The diva in him couldn't help but come out. It was only natural.

He heard a laugh on the other end. "Well, you're right about that. This isn't exactly important but it does need to be answered quickly." The Warbler replied with a smirk.

This just confused Kurt even more. What the hell was he talking about? "Ok…" Now he was really lost and wondering if he needed to be worrying.

"Sorry." The boy on the other end replied, still clearly amused. "I was calling to invite you to my birthday party this coming up weekend. The boys are throwing me a party and I thought you might want to come."

Kurt blinked. He was invited…to a party? To a party by someone not even from his school? Who barely knew him? Ok that part might make more sense. If he knew him he probably wouldn't want to invite him. That's what happened at McKinley…No invitations. He was the gay kid. He was bullied. Glee was his only saving grace and even then who in there was anything resembling cool enough to throw a party?

His mind kept reeling with possibilities when Wes finally spoke up again. "Kurt? Are you there?"

The brunette snapped out of it and returned to the phone. "Sorry. Um, where is the party and what time?"

"Dalton." Wes replied as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Don't worry. It's not going to be a bunch of people you don't know. Well…ok it is but it's just the Warblers. Promise." The councilman assured, trying to relax Kurt. "And it'll be around 7 or 8. They said it would start at 6 so you know they'll be late." He said, clearly rolling his eyes on the other end

He bit his lip. A bunch of boys he didn't know…and the birthday boy was one he barely knew as well! "I don't know…Westerville is a bit far away. I'm not sure I could justify going there and back in the same night…"

"No worries. You could spend the night. Blaine'll be here. You could stay with him."

His heart leaped a little already. The bold boy who'd stood up to his tormenter…The ONE person in all of Ohio that really seemed to understand what he was going through. He shook his head. Ok now he was just being dramatic. "I'm still not sure…I mean did Blaine suggest that?"

"No." The Asian admitted. "But honestly he won't mind. And listen Kurt, I know you're probably nervous about spending the night with a bunch of boys you hardly know. You sound anxious. I promise that we won't hurt you Kurt. We're a bit unusual but we have the best of intentions. You seem like an interesting kid. And you've kept Blaine's attention so we want to know you for that too. Come on. What've you got to lose?"

He supposed that was right. He didn't really have anything to lose, _except my dignity when they get me back for spying…_he thought to himself as he sighed. But Wes was all too right. He didn't have any other plans, who would miss him? … _Alright_. "Alright. I'll come."

"Excellent!" The older boy said excitedly. "Just show up at Dalton between 6 and 7 and I'll make sure Blaine'll meet you. Have a great day Kurt. And Thanks. "

"You're welcome Wes. Goodbye."

"Bye." The older boy replied and hung up.

Kurt sighed. What did he just agree to?

* * *

Come Saturday, Jeff, Nick, and Blaine were all together, doing some last minute shopping for their leader's birthday party. They had just a few more things to pick up for the party, as it was that night. They meant to get things sooner but…something always seemed to get in the way. It was for Wes so of course it had to be perfect, though considering Wes…that was a pretty tall order.

Blaine sighed. "I can't believe we're doing this. It was partially David's idea and he's not here at all…none of the council are here."

"That's because they're keeping him busy. Or so they told me at least…" Jeff grumbled, carrying more bags than he'd like. He wasn't really one for epic amounts of shopping…unless it was for fun stuff! Then it was awesome.

Nick shook his head. "Well they did give us their money and say go get his presents. That part they should've done sooner but getting party supplies and our own presents? Jeff, that's not unreasonable. That's what we're supposed to be doing. And guys they ARE keeping him busy. He's being occupied. Plus David will have to leave in a little bit to go pick up Katherine."

"Gag me." Jeff replied teasingly, making a face.

Blaine hit him and Nick rolled his eyes at his boyfriend. "Well I think it's sweet guys. And Jeff, you and Nick can be pretty cute too. I wouldn't be making those faces."

Nick blushed at that and looked at his boyfriend for help. "Well what about you and that Kurt kid?"

"I just met the kid not long ago and you're already bugging me!" Blaine complained.

Nick shrugged. "We just see it for what it is. You definitely seemed to connect when you were singing to him."

"It was just the first time we met! He just seemed lost is all…"

The Aussie grinned. "You were eye-fucking him for god's sake Blaine. I think that's more than 'just lost…"

Nick shook his head at his boyfriend. "You're so crude."

"Not as crude as you are in the bedroom…"

"LALALALALALA…" Blaine sang, walking away from them.

Nick laughed at Blaine's reaction as they caught up. "He's smitten."

Jeff nodded. "Undeniable Chemistry."

Blaine muttered, still "What would you know about chemistry..."

Jeff smirks now. "Quite a bit."

"OMG MY EYES MY POOR SWEET EYES. MY POOR BRAIN. WHY?" He questioned as they laughed.

Nick sighed and looked at his roommate. "You should know better by now Blaine."

"Doesn't make it scar me any less." He mumbled, shaking his head. Sometimes they were too much…He didn't need to know about his roommates sex life.. "Honestly, you two are like brothers to me. This is INCEST, I tell you. INCEST!" He flailed dramatically, feeling the need to exaggerate to make a point with them. Blaine could be quite mature at times and quite childish, like now. Thankfully they weren't currently in their uniforms because, contrary to popular belief, the Dalton boys did NOT live in their blazers. Being in uniform would reflect poorly on Dalton. The school had a rather good reputation except with the Crawford dorm advisors…

Unfortunately for Blaine, a priest happened to walk by at that precise moment. Just his luck…

Nick smiled politely and nudged Blaine, who blushed and the Catholic in him felt bad. "Morning Father." The curly haired boy said politely, ashamed at his behavior.

Jeff snickered. What timing…Today was certainly going to be interesting if it was any indication. "You two are going to be the death of me…" Blaine grumbled.

The poor Priest looked bewildered at the boys and walked away, unsure what was going on…

Nick hit his boyfriend for laughing and not being polite. "When you see a priest you're supposed to be respectful." He scolded him before turning back to their friend. "But really Blaine? Incest?" Jeff laughed once more and kissed his boyfriend, putting Blaine in the middle now just to be awkward.

The kissing just made Blaine slightly jealous. He'd never had a boyfriend before…but he wanted one. He so desperately wanted one. And he wanted what Nick and Jeff had. "If I had a boyfriend I could do that too…"He mumbled.

"PRECISELY!" Jeff screamed, breaking away from his boyfriend which he'd been kissing over Blaine while walking. Let's just say he had practice… "That's why we're harping so much. We don't want to hear Teenage Dream anymore..."_ And we want to see you happy...but teasing you is fun too._

Nick hummed in confirmation. He loved his boyfriend. And he sure as hell loved his best friend too, in the brotherly sense. But he honestly would be glad to stop hearing that song again…and again…and again… "You do play it on repeat…as your roommate I would know." Though he too agreed with Jeff's thoughts, not having to hear them aloud to know. _Blaine deserves happiness too…_

He frowned at him. "Are you going to side with him? Really? I know you're dating but still…"

Jeff grinned and swung his arm around his boyfriend who pushed him away. He was a bit shy after all the extreme PDA they'd been doing just to get to Blaine. He loved Jeff and he loved affection with Jeff, but Nick wasn't ever really one for PDA. Maybe around his friends but Jeff was more out there than him.

More mumbling came from Blaine. "It only gets played to drown out the sounds of Neff…"

To which Nick blushed and Jeff shrugged. "We're not THAT loud."

Blaine stared at him as though he had spouted another head. "I ROOM with Nick... Sometimes you two don't really care about that and just kind of...take it away...while I'm there..." He shook his head. "Like I said, I only play it so I don't have to listen to you two. What are you - rabbits or something?"

The Aussie just batted his eyelashes at his hobbit friend. "Well…"

Nick blushed, feeling uncomfortable. "Anyways...back to you and this Kurt, who we need to meet..." He trailed off, hoping B would take the hint.

The hobbit in question shook his head and sighed, resigned. "You'll meet him tonight...He's coming for Wes' party. I didn't want to tell you guys but Wes encouraged me to invite him and I didn't…so he did...I mean how the hell Wes even KNOWS about his surprise party is beyond me but…"

"It's Wes." They all replied in unison.

"Come on." Nick said, pulling the both of them along. "We need to finish getting everything and head back. It would be nice if the party actually started on time…" _Or not too late…_He thought as he dragged them off.

Resigned, Blaine and Jeff followed, giving up on the witty banter for the moment. Nick was determined to get back to Dalton, sick of shopping. The black haired boy couldn't help but wonder how the party would go though. _With the day so far? Who knows what will happen next…_

* * *

Around 6, the time the party was theoretically to start, Kurt arrived at Dalton. He was fretting about the time but remembered Wes said it would probably start late. He texted Blaine, as Wes had instructed him, upon arrival. Hopefully he wouldn't be too late!

_To Blaine, from Kurt: I'm here._

_To Kurt, from Blaine: K. I'm coming to the visitor's lot. Don't move! ;) _

Blaine smiled at the text from Kurt but shook his head. This was a Warbler party and poor Kurt hardly knew him. He wasn't ready for what he would get into is what the younger boy feared.

Jeff nudged him when he saw Blaine reading a text. "Kurtiekins here, huh?"

"Do NOT call him that please. You haven't even met him and you're already giving him nicknames…" he groaned, walking out as quickly as he could.

"Pardon me for interrupting your sexting!"The Aussie called out as Blaine walked even faster.

It turned into a jog because he just wanted to get away from Jeff and besides, the party was ALMOST ready. When he got back with Kurt, Wes would be heading back to the party and they'd just make it. They were completely ready almost on time. It wasn't that late! …for once.

Thankfully Kurt was waiting for Blaine as he arrived, standing against the side of his car hesitantly, looking uncertain about the whole thing but definitely gorgeous. B shook his head and walked forward with a smile. "Hey Kurt! Thanks for coming!"

Said boy looked up and smiled as well, happy to be there with the other boy. "No problem. Though Wes invited me, which I found interesting as it was his party."

"Yea…" Blaine said sheepishly, whistling innocently. "Um. He does that…"

"Mmm…he said all of you were throwing the party for him. That's rather nice of you. I'm sure it's a lot of work planning a party with Dalton's rigorous curriculum and a lot of work putting something together and getting everyone there." Kurt gushed, flattering Blaine.

The other boy snorted in response. "We put it all together last minute. We planned to do SOMETHING but the what just kinda happened this week. Wes is the planner." Blaine admitted, laughing.

Kurt stared. "O…right…" He had somehow gotten the impression the Warblers were more organized than the New Directions from what Blaine could tell. And well, he was right. They were. But that didn't say much from the stories Kurt told.

"Hey. Don't get the wrong idea. We're still a great bunch of guys and we do plan more than your friends at McKinley, though from what you've said I'm not sure they plan much at all…But we're still high school boys."

The brunette nodded. "Yes, I know. I suppose I'd just expected you all to be more sophisticated and mature…I'd hoped really."

Blaine shook his head as they entered his dorm. "Well I guess we are more than what you're used to, but like I said Kurt, we're still high schoolers."

"Of course…" He said, trailing off as he looked at his surroundings, taking them in. "HOLY SHIT BLAINE! YOU LIVE IN HOGWARTS!"

A Harry Potter reference….Blaine felt his heart skip a little. "Ok you DO know you are more amazing now right, Kurt? But yea, this place kinda is like Hogwarts. Magic and all. We joke and say that the rest of the people are muggles."

"No YOU joke about that Blaine. We shake our heads." Another boy said, walking down towards them.

"I'm Nick. You must be Kurt. It's a pleasure." The other boy stated, offering his hand.

Kurt looked at him rather curiously before Blaine laughed. "Kurt, this is my friend and roommate, Nick Duvall. Nick, this is my friend Kurt Hummel."

"Ah the infamous Kurt. It's a pleasure to meet you as I said. Now as much as I want to continue this, Blaine we really do need to get up there. Wes is on his way."

"Shit! Ok!" The curly-haired boy cursed and grabbed Kurt, running up the stairs to Wes' room.

Upon arrival, Nick, having raced after them, looked at Kurt as Blaine immediately dragged them into a hiding spot. "Sorry about that. This is kind of a secret."

The perplexed countertenor had no chance to respond before everyone was shushed and the lights were turned off. He looked at Blaine who was very focused. It was already extremely confusing.

Thankfully he didn't have to wait long before he saw the door open and three boys walk in. "You guys, why do we need to stop by the room?" Wes questioned, half expecting the answer if not moreso by the expression on his face.

Thad just looked at him, mouthing 'play along' as the lights turned on and everyone jumped out yelling "SURPRISE!".

Wes looked at the other two council members who nudged him before he turned back to everyone with an honest smile on his face. "Wow guys I can honestly say I am surprised." The Asian replied with a chuckle. "That you got the date right…" This was followed by a combination of groans, laughs and protests of 'Wes!' throughout the room.

It was Kurt, however, that protested the loudest. "Isn't Wes NOT supposed to know about this? ...Isn't that the point of a 'surprise' party? I can't believe this was a surprise party but HE invited me. He KNEW days ago at least! " He'd only met the other boy once but it'd been kind of him to invite Kurt. He didn't think it was right that they'd let the secret slip!

Blaine chuckled. "We tried...and we try every year and on every special occasion. But honestly, he just always finds out! We've even made sure no one told as they are not left alone while in the planning stages if it can be helped, but…he just...knows..." The boxer said, pausing before he said the final word. "If it's anyone else the secret keeps but Wes? ..."

"It's a Wes thing." David came over and pointed out, patting Kurt on the back and handing him a cup of something...Kurt wasn't sure what it was. "It's not alcohol, I promise. Boy Scout's Honor." The African-American held up his hand jokingly but Blaine snorted. "He really was or is a Boy Scout."

"I've made it all the way to Eagle Scout thank you very much." He said, grinning, actually proud of this. Blaine rolled his eyes and looked at Kurt. "He's not exaggerating. Clearly Kurt wasn't sure of a lot of things involving this party, as he hadn't even been sure if he wanted to come. Now he wasn't sure about it since they couldn't keep it a surprise and he had no idea what kind of drink he was just handed… "You'll get used to it if you continue to hang out with us. I'm his roommate and I still can't figure it out half the time."

"Are you SURE you aren't more?" Jeff asked for what seemed like the hundredth time at least, wiggling his eyebrows.

David sighed. "For the last time Jeffrey, we are NOT dating nor will we ever. Stop fantasizing!"

Kurt just stared at this. "Um…should I be worried?" He asked, looking between the boys.

"Nah. This is just us. We're a bit crazy. Not all prep school boys are as goody goody as our dear Blainers here." Jeff replied, giving the curly haired boy a noogie.

"Jeff!" Blaine whined, pulling away and checking his hair. It looked awfully vain of him but he was defensive of his hair. He didn't want Kurt to see that mess after just meeting him! "Urgh! I'll be right back Kurt. Don't let them scare you off." He replied, heading out towards his room to re-gel his hair.

The Aussie snickered and looked at Kurt. "I'm Jeff by the way. Jeff Stirling. Nice to meet ya."

"Um…Kurt…" The bewildered boy replied, not sure how to go about this. He was normally so confident but lately, with everything going on, his spirit had been dampened a little. Blaine hadn't seen that side of Kurt but he was slowly seeing a slightly more confident side the longer they hung out. "Hummel. Kurt Hummel."

"Alright Kurt Hummel. Don't let Blainey fool you. We're not all stick-in-the-muds like him. I personally like to have a bit of fun."

"With Nick?" A larger boy walked over, teasing his friend.

"Maybe." Jeff said, blushing slightly but winking, trying to keep it flirty.

"Right." The boy turned to look at Kurt. "I'm Trent Nixon. Nice to meet you." He said, offering his hand.

The fashionista paused, looking at him carefully. "Have I met you before? You look awfully familiar…"

Trent laughed. "No we haven't met. But I'm not surprised. I get that a lot." He was clearly holding back the reason behind that but Kurt didn't push at this moment. After all he was just a visitor no matter how oddly welcome he was feeling with these boys. He had to remind himself that while they lived in this magical safety while at the end of this weekend he'd have to go back to reality. On Monday he'd be back at McKinley…he'd be back in hell while these boys were still in paradise. Needless to say he was a little jealous but he was definitely going to make the most of this…he had…No reason to enjoy the present, even if it was a bit bittersweet. But as Blaine came back from the bathroom and smiled at him he couldn't help but smile back. Maybe it would be ok to just relax and have a little fun…

* * *

**A/N: _SO SORRY_ THIS TOOK SO LONG!** I had writer's block on some of it and then I got a job and it has kind of consumed my soul but I'M BACK! And better than ever…well sorta. I mean better certainly. But I've been sick too so the combination kind of drained me. I'm slowly getting used to it. _ This definitely is a late bday present to **Carbon65 **and **pi . on. a. skateboard **! They are my ladies and I love them dearly. Thanks darlings!

And **BTW **this is part 1 of 2 for this chapter. The rest will be posted soon, depending on how fast it gets done (still in progress). And both of these chapters are essentially crack...but awesome crack. And related to the plot in a way. Let's call it character development and setting the stage for future madness. :) Hehe. Loves loves! I'm not gonna lie. I can be a review whore at times so that will motivate me to post faster. :) WARBLER RANDOMNESS! Love you all!~~

~K


	7. Bday Bash Part 2!

**A/N**: I LIVE! Because I'm a meanie, and because I want to update sooner, I'm going to split this once more. THAT and the fact that it'd be close to 7 k or so if I didn't do that… So here's part 2 of the hopefully 3 part installment that is Wes' birthday party and the surrounding insanity! Thanks for being patient! THEN I'll work on getting our dear Kurtie to Dalton...I think! You'll see more angst then plus definitely insanity. I need to learn to stop making plans and just let the Warblers do what they want to do. It goes much better when I surrender myself to them. Thanks for sticking with it!

* * *

A little while later, when the party was in full swing, the core of the Warblers began to make themselves apparent. Jeff and Nick, whom he'd met earlier at separate points, were apparently part of the core group that Blaine hung out with. They were also dating. "You're kidding me. There are MORE gay guys here?"

He laughed. "Yes Kurt, there are more gay guys here. There are more than me and Jeff and Nick even. But they are the most prominent from who I know."

"I know you guys said it wasn't a gay school but seriously?" Kurt asked, shocked.

Blaine could understand his surprise to an extent. It was Ohio after all. It wasn't exactly known for its openness. It was known for the Buckeyes in his mind. That's what he thought of when he thought of Ohio. He put a hand on Kurt's arm in reassurance. "It's not. We're just a small portion of the school honestly. There are some people here who aren't accepting, as in any school, but they can't act upon it due to the Zero Tolerance policy. At least, they can't get caught. Like I said Kurt, we're not perfect but the Warblers are a generally accepting bunch."

Blaine had just finished explaining Dalton in a nutshell, or at least the basics of bullying there, when Thad came over to introduce himself. "Kurt I presume. Thad Harwood. Pleasure to meet you."

Flustered at the random introduction, especially after such a serious discussion, Kurt accepted Thad's proffered hand and shook it. "I'm meeting so many people. I apologize if I'm a bit speechless."

Thad nodded at that and looked at Blaine. "You shouldn't have waited till now to bring him over. That way he'd know more of us and wouldn't be so confused." The councilman scolded his lead singer.

"Hey! He's busy you know. And he lives in Lima." The soloist objected.

"But HE has a car and YOU don't. Or rather HE can DRIVE and YOU can't." The upperclassman pointed out.

Blaine pouted. "That's out of my control Thad and you know it! You coulda said no!"

Nick rolled his eyes at his friends and walked over. "Not to ruin this lovely argument but Jeff is over there waiting. He wants to play singstar and he says that he wants to play pass the mic or just have a line of challengers to compete against when 'he wins'. " The boy said in a monotone voice, mocking his boyfriend.

"O I'll show him who's going to win…"Thad muttered and walked over to where the Aussie was standing with the mics, grinning at his senior.

"Bring it." Jeff said, offering the mic to Thad, issuing a challenge.

"Oh it has already been broughten." Thad replied, grabbing the other mic and beginning the challenge.

Kurt started at the Warblers as a round of SingStar began. "Did they just quote 'Not Another Teen Movie'?'

"Why yes, yes they did." Trent said, walking over laughing. "Though I'm not surprised about David. Thad? He constantly surprises me…" The younger boy said, chuckling and walking over to get a front row seat to the madness. Kurt just stared. These boys were definitely different than he'd imagined!

* * *

Singstar long forgotten, the boys moved onto Rockband shortly thereafter. Then there was some sort of dancing game that they were all HORRID at…He certainly hoped they weren't trying…But with all the game hopping, it seemed like they all had the attention spam of 2 year olds...

Kurt frowned, frustrated at the boys behaviors though. They had been at this for just a little while…this was ridiculous. The night was young but they were all acting ridiculous! _David assured me he wasn't giving me alcohol but clearly the rest of them have been drinking. Why does alcohol turn everyone into idiots? _He looked over at Wes, who was not currently involved in any of the activities, was standing around with a distinct twinkle in his eyes. Kurt didn't know if it was because it was his birthday or something else…he was willing to wager it was something else. He was clearly enjoying everyone's odd behavior with a smirk and the debates about what to do next. Kurt turned to him. "They're ridiculous. I'm surprised you haven't put a stop to it. If it were my party I would. I mean really…" It wasn't as though Kurt didn't drink, but he didn't want to drink around an unfamiliar group of people. He had just met all of them…and besides, he was driving home the next day!

Wes chuckled. "Actually Kurt, they just turned themselves into idiots. No alcohol needed. I swapped it out last minute because I wanted something for my birthday from them, but I know they think they're doing well. They didn't listen because they think I need to loosen up, so I swapped it. Everyone's completely sober. So they've only got themselves to blame. Should you tell them or should I?" He beamed. Clearly he knew this would happen from the get go and he was amused at the insanity. Kurt wondered if he had planned this all along…Blaine HAD said Wes was an excellent planner…was that an understatement?

_O god_, Kurt thought. This man was a sadist..."I'll leave that to you." He replied diplomatically rather than insult the birthday boy.

The Asian nodded, taking control of his party and walking to the front of the room. "Everybody. Thank you for coming to my surprise party. And in the spirit of things, considering I knew you'd try something, I requested no alcohol be present. I'd like not to take you all to the ER for one night and Damnit I deserve to be off duty on my birthday." There was laughter at his announcement. Snorts when he'd said he requested no alcohol. Like they'd listen to that…The general consensus was that Wes needed to lighten up.

"Clearly you all decided that I needed to loosen up as you spiked the drinks – punch, soda and all. Even water." Kurt would've spit out his drink at that had Wes not told him sooner, but there was more laughter at this. Clearly no one was surprised.

"I'd like you all to know that, once again. I'm a step ahead of you and I switched everything AFTER you spiked it. So you're all sober. Congratulations, you don't need alcohol to be idiots. I thought this had been proven before but clearly you needed another chance to show the world. So thank you all for being complete idiots without the aid of alcohol. It's been a very entertaining present. Bravo." He applauded them before moving away from the center, leaving them all to think about their actions. Some of them were clearly surprised, some completely embarrassed at their actions. Others simply shrugged and continued on; not at all surprised Wes was an evil mastermind. The general population was impressed though. This was something only Wes could pull off.

Kurt stared at the senior in front of him. How did he know? How did he plan? Of course it wasn't hard to assume that a bunch of teenage boys would spike the drinks, but to replace it all…that was spiked? THAT took talent….How was he sure? Did he really know he'd gotten it all? He was baffled and this was just the first time he'd had more than a brief conversation with the boy! Blaine said all sorts of things about Wes being the oldest, in more ways than one, and taking care of everyone. While he applauded the ability to do this, and keep everyone sober, he was still rather surprised.

Blaine came over, grinning, tapping Kurt on the shoulder, and waving a hand in front of his face. "Hey. You alright there? You zoned out."

The brunette looked at the handsome boy next to him. "Sorry. I was just thinking how you said Wes was this caring, brotherly figure and here he sounded like an evil genius…"

That didn't help matters as it made Blaine laugh. "Yea…that would be another side to Wes. I mean he's brilliant, really. He's super helpful and he does take care of us. But he probably just wanted the night off. I mean can you imagine that with a room full of teenage boys AND alcohol, that not a SINGLE one of us would need to be taken care of in any way by the end of the night?" He questioned, looking at Kurt.

Thinking about it, he figured Blaine was right. Considering his friends at McKinley…they'd be lucky to get through a night of drinking without some sort of incident. It was possible…but it depended on the circumstances. If Puck was in charge of the alcohol…they'd all be in need of help. "I suppose. But still…how did he manage that?"

"He's Wes." Blaine repeated as the explanation. "And I know it sounds super corny or ridiculous but as you get to know him you'll find out that's really the only answer there is."

"As I get to know him?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow at the other boy curiously.

"Well yea." The gelled one said, as though it were completely obvious. "Wes invited you himself. That means something. And we talk. So this definitely won't be the last time you see them. Now relax."

"Speaking of relaxing…" Jeff spoke with a grin, butting in, cueing Flint to start a drumroll going, and winking at David who took his cue and stepped into the other room to change. "Wes we have a gift for you! Stand there and do nothing! This is the event of the evening! "

"Birthday boy! Come and put on your lab coat!" Thad said, holding out a white coat, not giving Wes an option. There was an uproar of laughter. "It's your birthday present, from all of us. Don't worry, you've got individual ones too. This was just a bit of a joke from us, call it early but we don't care. You're going to make a fabulous doctor someday so we thought you should have your very own lab coat now!" He announced.

Wes couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry at the declaration from his friends, perhaps both. But he laughed and smiled, trying not to get teary with his boys. It was a sweet gesture even if rooted in crazy as well. He had mentioned wanting to be a doctor on more than one occasion. He was also the one who "Thank you boys. Thank you so much." He replied, letting Thad help him put it on. "Well I certainly take care of you all enough…" He teased, shrugging it on then as they all laughed, but really, it was true.

Kurt smiled. It seemed awfully sweet but Blaine shook his head. "The funny thing is that he's understating if anything. Wes is kind of the father of our crazy bunch. Probably more like older brother I guess. It'd be kind of weird the way we are with Wes if he was our dad…" The lead singer mused as Kurt nudged him. "Sorry, right. But it's awesome. Wes wants to be a doctor, we think or he thinks, but either way he's always counseling us, taking care of us one way or another. Quite frankly I don't even want to THINK about what will happen next year without him. I'll cry. He's an integral part of the Warblers. He just is." Blaine explained, looking at the boy beside him.

After putting Wes in the coat they all toasted him. The toasts were short and funny mostly, some making Wes cry. They kept it brief because they were planning, YES actually planning, a hopefully surprise, party for his graduation. Or at least, contents surprise. The goings on…they were terrified Wes would find out per usual. They hoped they could manage this at least one time before he graduated…

Shortly thereafter, because they had to ruin the serious moment and bring about the laughs! Thad discretely moved to turn on the music, which turned out to be: "Get The Party Started".

"O god…" Wes said, before anyone said anything else. He had a vague idea of what his boys were doing and he wasn't sure he could keep a straight face during it.

Those in the know smirked and Jeff took this as his cue. "WE NEED TO SEND PINK IN HERE!"

Thankfully, after years of theatre, he'd mastered the quick change so he was ready just in time for Jeff's cue. He burst out, in full P!nk wear, including the hair (clearly a wig). "I'm comin up so you better get this party started!" The boy sang, holding a hairbrush and singing into it. "I'm comin up so you better get this party started!"

Trent laughed at all the commotion. "Hey Blaine! I thought P!nk belonged to you!" He teased the older boy, considering he was known for his P!nk and Katy Perry.

Shrugging, unable to speak at first from the laughter, Blaine took a minute to compose himself enough to speak. "Well...I guess this one time it's ok."

The laughter coming from the boys was immense as David kept singing. Kurt, however, spit out his drink upon seeing this. "Wait, is that the same David who sounded so prim and proper that I met that day?"

Blaine laughed alongside his fellow Warblers, amused at David's costume. It was no surprise to see David doing something ridiculous. Sure he could be quite serious sometimes. He and Wes shared that trait. But all of the boys had a bit of a goofy side, it just took a little coaxing to come out. "O yea. Same David for sure. Definitely."

"But…he sounded …he seemed…" Kurt said, baffled by the cross-dressing boy in front of him.

"Well yea. David is pretty proper to an extent Kurt but so are the rest of us. You'll see. It's not really a simple explanation…But…" Blaine paused, debating if he should explain now or wait. "You'll just see. It's complicated." He said, wishing he could tell him more but knowing that even though his instincts told him it was alright, that he needed to wait. _Patience Blaine, Patience…_He'd been wrong before…

Kurt was honestly displeased with the answer. Why couldn't he know? It didn't sound that complicated…well ok maybe it was but still. He was complicated too. He was bullied at school. He understood what it was like to need to be yourself. To need a safe place. So why couldn't he be included? This feeling continued as did the song. He just felt a bit left out…why couldn't he know? Didn't he understand? He pouted a bit as the song was finishing up and he saw something he had yet to see. _Are they seriously doing that?_

Jeff and one of the others came over to Wes with bubble wrap of all things! Blaine, being a Warbler, wasn't at all surprised by this. It was practically tradition. He'd been victim to being wrapped up and thrown down the stairs before. Jeff had been one of the instigators… David had done it. Nick, Thad too! Surprisingly enough Wes never had…probably because he was generally on standby in case it went wrong. But they were pros at it. It hardly ever went wrong.

The diva looked over at the soloist. "Are they really going to wrap him up? And then what? Toss him down the stairs?" He questioned sarcastically.

Blaine nodded. "That's exactly what they're going to do."

"You're kidding?" He exclaimed as the boys finished wrapping Wes from his shoulders down.

"Why would he kid about that?" Nick questioned, walking over. "This is fairly common Kurt. You'll have to understand that despite being 'prep school boys', we do a lot of wild things. When Blaine told you we were like rock stars, he wasn't kidding. We're partially known for our insane behaviors as well."

"Funny thing is they don't know the half of it." Blaine joked, grinning at Kurt.

"But…won't he get HURT? And his head is exposed…shouldn't you at least give him a helmet or something if you're that insistent on doing this? Couldn't he injure himself easily?"

"Trust me." Jeff said, coming over after finishing with Wes, leaving the boy in the care of the others briefly. "If Blainey and Trent haven't gotten hurt then Wes won't. He'll be fine."

"HEY!" The two boys in question replied in unison.

"No, you're wrong Jeff." Nick said, making Blaine and Trent smile. "Blaine's more of a danger to himself than anything external could ever be."

Trent continued to smile and snickered while Blaine pouted. "So mean!"

Kurt looked at Jeff. "Is that true or is he just teasing him?"

Jeff turned to him instead of listening to Blaine and Nick argue like little boys. "No it's quite true." He replied, looking around and deciding it was time. "Alright! Off to the stairs! David, help me carry him." He ordered the proper boy turned music star. He nodded and ran over, picking Wes up with Jeff's help. They each took an end. It wasn't as though the older boy was particularly heavy…but it was moreso that he had muscle…and he would squirm.

Currently the leader was indeed trying to get out of the wrap. "Guys come on! If I'm like this I can't help if someone hurts themselves."

"O relax." Jeff assured him. "I'm trained in first aid, you know that. I can handle anything basic. Beyond basic we shouldn't be dealing with it anyways. Besides, weren't you the one who said it's your birthday so you shouldn't have to?"

Wes groaned. They'd gotten him with his own words.

The trip to the stairs wasn't long in itself, it was more that they had to carry him to the main entrance way rather than just their nearest stairs. It was the only one truly suited for this as they had discovered. "Note to self: Blindfold next time and walk them to the stairs…it's easier." The blonde mumbled as they made their way to the main area where many of the Warblers had run ahead.

"I heard that!" The Asian replied, ready to just get this over with. It wasn't fun being on the other side. He'd had fun watching others go down, albeit nervously, but being the one trapped in this? Helpless essentially? Unable to get out? He didn't like it. He liked to be in control. He tried to calm himself reminding himself that it was his birthday and it was just a prank. Soon enough it would be over.

Thankfully, in Wes' mind, they finally reached the stairs and set him down. "Alright! Are you ready Wesley Montgomery?" David teased, taking on the role of emcee with his hairbrush.

"As ready as I'll ever be…" He replied, putting on a façade. Most of the boys laughed at this but Kurt was still worried. He didn't know the boys well but he still couldn't see how bubble wrapping someone and throwing them down the stairs could possibly be a good idea…

"Are you SURE we should be doing this?" He asked Blaine, who seemed to be the only one besides the birthday boy himself who could POSSIBLY be talked to reasonably.

The curly-haired boy looked at Kurt and he smiled softly. "It's really ok. Wes is a big boy and he's helped us do this before. I'm sure it'll be fine. I can tell you're really worried. But honestly, as much as I see that, there's nothing I can do to stop it at this point. They've already started and their lunatic minds wouldn't see reason if you threw it in their face." He said, looking at them as they gave Wes his starting roll.

At first he was just rolling down the stairs…almost bouncing. To be expected of course, Wes was tiny. But When Wes hit the furniture the boys cringed, though they should have been concerned because of what he hit on it...But it wasn't until he continued moving all the way to the double doors that the boys ran down…


	8. Party End and Urgent Insanity

Wes hadn't really moved much in the few seconds after he hit the door and that scared the boys. They ran down because they weren't sure if Wes would be alright. It didn't seem that bad but the sound of him hitting the door didn't seem pretty.

"Wes, Wes, are you alright?"

"Man that was sick!"

"Dude, I bet that last one smarted."

"Completely brilliant." Jeff teased, running over with the rest, unwrapping the older Warbler carefully.

"So how do you feel?" Kurt questioned, right there alongside the Warblers.

"I'm perfectly fine," he replied, trying to get his bearings.

"Are you sure?" Blaine questioned, noting Kurt's concern and Wes' slow response. Well, slow for him.

"I'm quite sure. You were off yourself when you went down if I recall properly…" The leader said, wincing a bit at the pain he felt, though he'd never admit it.

Blaine backed off a bit, watching closely. Kurt had put it into his head…

"Besides," he continued, staring off at the corner. "At least it was me you wrapped, and not Strawberry Shortcake. I don't think she'd survive nearly as well. I did teach you all to be proper gentlemen after all."

Well, that was… odd… "Is he always like this?" Kurt muttered aside to Blaine.

"Random? Yeah, that's Wes alright." Jeff butted in, still laughing.

But Blaine shook his head. "He can be random… but…"

But Wes had hit his head. Coupled with his slow responses and odd answers, and Blaine was definitely worried now too.

But many of the boys were still laughing. It was the inner circle that didn't laugh as much, if at all. "Oh my god Wes you're completely out there!"

That didn't stop him as he managed to get himself up, stumbling over to Trent with arms outstretched, humming under his breath. Jeff looked first at Klaine, then at the older boy and sighed as it all clicked in. "Ooooookay, crazy man, let me have a look at you."

"No! I'm fine. Let me go see Strawberry!"

"Strawberry?" Kurt looked into Wes' crazed eyes, gleaming, slightly out of focus.

"Yes. Strawberry. She's right there." Wes raised a shaking hand to point at Trent.

The boys started, turning to look at Trent – who most definitely was NOT Strawberry Shortcake, or any form of childhood cartoon…despite any jokes. Andrew shook his head. "How does he manage this? Even his delusions are nuts."

"You said it." David said, frowning at the whole thing. Why hadn't they thought that of course when WES did it that he'd get hurt. "Jeff…? We'll get him to the ER?"

"Yeah. Definitely. But let me assess him first." He turned, pressing down gently on the senior's shoulders to force him to sit, though not noticing how quick his legs buckled under him. Jeff then brought out a flashlight, well, torch to him, to take a look at the councilman. He ran the light across Wes' eyes, watching his pupils react. "Well, he's virtually PEARLing***, though the right eye's a little slow… Wes, what day is it?"

"Tuesday," came the assured response.

It was Saturday. "Alright, good… And what year is it?"

"Um…" Wes crinkled his nose in concentration. "It's Tuesday today, right?"

"Shit," Jeff cursed. "He's got a GCS**** of 14. We should probably go check him out..."

"Dude! That's bad?"

"Does that mean he's hurt?"

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Someone asked in an attempt to help, putting their hand within Wes' view.

The Aussie looked at the person like they were nuts. "Seriously?! That's not gonna help. Even if you have double vision, you can work out how many there are. Unless you're trained in recognising reactions, that thing is useless! And even then... I'd never do it. Ever. Them giving you the right answer tells you NOTHING."

Wes was going to nod but thought better of it. "He's right you know. Asking me that IS dumb. My vision's fine and you were holding up 3 fingers by the way. Big surprise," the boy muttered sarcastically.

"Well what's your name?" someone questioned, trying to make up for the previous question.

"Wesley Montgomery. Now will you shut up and let me get up?" the Asian protested.

"How old are you?"

"Older than you," the smart ass replied as he was forced down from yet another attempt to get up. This was getting old quickly.

Trent pushed himself into view, even if not as close as he'd like, and looked at Wes with concern. "Who am I?" He had no idea if it was the right kind of thing to ask, or do, but he just wanted to do something…He really wanted to help and well, Wes was calling him something weird earlier…Third time was the charm, right? He'd answered the last two properly, and he probably would answer this one right too. He was just nervous. Wes was their leader, the responsible one. He just had a bad feeling. It didn't sound all that good to him based on what Jeff was saying…he definitely needed to talk to Wes and Jeff about teaching him about First Aid to start with. Then he'd tackle the rest. But right now, his focus was on Wes.

"You're pretty, Strawberry. Just like a Strawberry! I want to eat you but you're too big to fit in my mouth... Let's dance, Strawberry!" Which led to Wes attempting to stand up, singing the Cuppycake song. Unfortunately he fell right back down as he tried to stand and dance.

As if the medical mumbo-jumbo from Jeff wasn't convincing enough, the apparent hallucination confirmed for the countertenor that he was right. He'd been right all along but had anyone listened? No… of course not. Kurt simply stood there, looking at them.

Jeff groaned as he helped their leader stand up, leaning on him. "Don't say it, Kurt. Don't you dare say it…"

"I told you so."

* * *

The boys managed to get Wes in the car with only a minimal fight before they buckled him in and drove off as fast as they could.

However things took an interesting turn along the way. "Uh...guys..."Blaine said, looking at their leader who seemed a little green. "I think Wes is going to puke..."

"He's gonna chuck the ONE time we don't have anything? ...Bloody hell. Anyone have a paper bag? Plastic? ANYTHING?" Jeff called out, hoping SOMEONE in the cramped car would have something they could use.

There were various shakes of the head. Wes was going to say something but he looked as though if he spoke he'd spew it everywhere.

Blaine looked at him. "Um, let's check Wes' bag, if anyone has something, it'd be him." The soloist paused."...you brought it, right Jeff?"

Thankfully, the Aussie nodded. "Of course. I figured we'd need some form of ID or something in there and paperwork to be filled out."

"Right. Let's check it. Wes is...unusually prepared compared to the rest of us so maybe he'll have something we can use."

"Of course," Thad said, rolling his eyes. "Wes WOULD be the one to have the thing we need FOR him."

"What are you trying to say?" Kurt questioned, baffled at the strange wording and confused as to the general goings on.

Nick looked at Kurt, summing it up for the countertenor. "Wes probably has a concussion. He's nauseous and likely to vomit. No one has a bag or anything we can use and because we were concerned he'd try and escape, Wes is in the middle. Yes that has happened before." He added, before Kurt could question if the older boy was really likely to try and get away. "Thus," Nick continued, "he can't get out to puke on the road. So, Blaine suggested that Wes might have something we could use for Wes to throw up in. Why? I'm sure you're about to ask. Because it's Wes. He probably wants to be a doctor, least as far as we know."

"So you're saying that the one we're taking to Urgent Care is the one that will be the most prepared?"

The boys nodded collectively, as though it was obvious. "Spot on," Jeff replied, rummaging through Wes' bag. "Aha! Found it. Wes would have a few bags for use." He handed it over to Blaine who was sitting closest to their leader.

"Thanks Jeff." Blaine opened the emesis bag, helping Wes place a shaky hand on the side and raise it to his mouth, sending a look to Nick, who was on the other side of the Asian while rubbing Wes' back with his hand. "Alright Wes. Just go whenever you need to. It's okay. No one will hold it against you like you're probably thinking. We all end up needing help sometimes...and well, it's about time we paid you back." He teased, thinking of all the times Wes had taken him to the hospital, Urgent Care or Nurse, alone…

* * *

Unfortunately, Wes did indeed vomit, making the others look at him with concern. Wes throwing up? This was serious. Thankfully he stopped before the bag was full and they arrived at Urgent Care shortly thereafter. Blaine got out of the car, twisting the bag at the mouth to lock it off. He didn't really want to be holding vomit, but Jeff had warned him to keep it – just in case the doctor's needed it for testing. Or something. Blaine didn't really understand some of the first aid things, but he trusted Jeff knew what he was talking about*****… Thad and David helped Wes out of the car while Jeff and Nick parked the car. Kurt walked in front of the boy and, in an attempt to be of some helped, opened the doors. Wes protested the assistance but the others looked at him.

"You couldn't stand up properly when we were back at the dorms. You can't now. Shut up and let us help you for once."

The Asian grumbled but Blaine looked over at him with his infamous puppy dog eyes. Wes sighed frustratedly. "Fine…let's just make this fast so we can get back to Dalton." This wasn't the ideal way for anyone to spend their birthday.

Thad and David were clearly relieved, though Kurt had a confused expression present on his face. He didn't know how Blaine could convince Wes to do something with that look, adorable as it was. And he didn't know anyone quite as stubborn as Wes – including himself.

The boys helped Wes to a seat while Thad took the lead and walked up to the front, getting the paperwork to fill out and wait for their turn to be called.

Blaine and David sat with Kurt. The leader of the Warblers was sitting by them, looking around, studying people rather than anything else.

While Blaine and David did their best to engage Wes in conversation to try and keep the boy occupied, and themselves, Kurt looked around as well. He didn't see anyone really until his eyes landed on a blonde. She looked incredibly familiar but he shook his head. Couldn't be anyone he knew…this was Westerville…two hours away from Lima…

But soon enough, another girl walked back over to join her blonde companion. "I've got the paperwork filled out. Now we wait. They said it wouldn't be long."

That voice was unmistakable. It belonged to the one and only Santana Lopez.

* * *

"Satan? What are you doing here?" Kurt questioned as the Latina sat down next to her friend and began comforting Brittany.

The Latina looked up, recognizing that voice anywhere. She knew her peers well enough but this one? This person was more than just another kid at school. "Porcelain?"

The Warblers looked confused at this interaction but the countertenor wasn't phased. "What happened? What's going on?" he questioned, now that he knew who it was.

"The short version? B here drank some hair gel and then she called me..." Santana replied, shaking her head.

"But why here? Why not Lima? This is a long way if Britt needs help," the fashionista asked curiously but with concern.

"Lord Tubbington told me to…he said that we should come here. He said that the faeries and the leprechauns would protect us if we came here. There were bad things in Lima. They're the ones who said that you drink it; your hair will be straight. Normally my mom does my hair, or Tana, but I wanted to do it all by myself! So I did." The blonde said with a serious face. NOW the Warblers were really confused…

The black-haired girl nodded at her friend. "What she said." There was no other way to explain it. Brittany was rather unique.

A rather confused-looking Blaine came and sat by the blonde. "Honey, you're not meant to drink it… See how straight my hair is?"

Britt crinkled her nose. "It's all crispy and oily."

"Well, yes," Blaine admitted, ignoring the chuckles of his eavesdropping friends in the corner. "But it's straight. That's because you put it on top of your head. Not drink it."

"Have you ever drunk hair gel before?" She asked.

"No."

"So, that's why you have to keep putting it on top. Lord Tubbington told me if I drank it that I wouldn't have to put it on again." She paused, rubbing her stomach. "I think he's on drugs though."

"Oh, San, honey," Kurt said, walking over and wrapping his arms around her... Britt would be fine. She always was. It wasn't like this was a one-off occasion. He could tell the Latina was worried though, and truthfully? So was he. Britt was kind of the one that NO ONE had a problem with. They all cared about her even if they didn't say so. "You know you shouldn't drink the stuff. I don't care how bad your date went, spiking her drink with hair product wasn't the way to fix it."

Santana stiffened and pulled back. "Really, babycheeks? You're gonna try to pin this on _me_?"

But Kurt seemed to realize his mistake shortly thereafter. Kurt knew it was harsh. He knew it was a low blow but Santana usually understood him. She made comments like that all the time and their banter had always been rather...interesting. He knew Santana would be nervous. She knew that Brittany wasn't supposed to drink it. She would've stopped her, were she there at the time. But it seems as though Brittany called her best friend AFTER the fact. Thankfully they were here now. She'd be alright, probably needed to have her stomach pumped, but alright. _Right?_ He sighed. He was worried and he knew if he didn't make banter with the Latina then Britt would begin to worry. They always made snarky comments to each other. So, he did it. He went there. Brittany wouldn't take him seriously. She rarely did. It was the beauty of her. She had that child-like innocence that most people lost but she had quite the IQ as well, despite what most people thought. He smiled at the girls.

"I'm sorry, that was mean. Even for me," he finally remembered to open his mouth again. He had been a bit lost in tumultuous thought, trying to collect himself. "Besides, she'll be fine. She always is. You know that. And, hey, I think I've found a way to turn this on Blaine now."

Britt looked up to see Kurt and Santana arguing kinda like her parents, before moving close to Kurt. _So...does that mean they were in love? But that doesn't work. Kurt's a dolphin…my dolphin. Maybe it's a different kind of love…My head hurts._"Sanny?" she called out, her voice hoarse. "Is that why my hair isn't straighter?" _Lord Tubbington is totally on drugs…_

Santana nodded. "Yes baby. That's why. I'll teach you how to use it later, ok? Though your hair looks _fabulosa_ as is." She commented, rubbing Brittany's back to comfort the girl. It was amazing how the fierce, strong Latina could be so gentle and sweet when she wanted to be. The difference was remarkable.

"Your hair is perfectly fine Britt. Why were you even using gel in the first place?" Kurt asked, concerned about his friend. Jeff and Nick chose this moment, of all the moments, to walk in. Needless to say their confusion was greater than that of the five Dalton boys who had been there all along.

"Well, if I don't fix it, it waves. I think they look more like sound waves than ocean waves though. Ocean waves would be okay. This gel is magic. It said so," she said without blinking, as though this was the most obvious thing in the world.

Wes was just sitting there, watching and listening to the whole thing, shaking his head even though it was a bad idea. _Those idiots._ He grabbed Santana's waist as she'd moved closer per the blonde's nudging once they saw their friend, pulling her closer, bringing her lap onto his. He just wanted to protect her already…which was quite odd, even for him… "Don't mind those two," he whispered, knowing that they had hit a soft spot - even if she wouldn't admit it. He could tell these things with people, people were his thing. It was what he did. "Blaine uses so much of the crap it's probably killed his brain cells via osmosis. And Kurt..."He trailed off. All he knew of Kurt so far was bitt and pieces. But he could tell that the boy was a unique individual.

"Is Kurt," the Latina agreed, finally allowing herself to relax in the vague sense of privacy they now had. "Thank you."

"My pleasure, baby doll." He rubbed his hands up her arms, deciding to shrug off his lab coat that he'd still managed to be wearing. He took off the jacket briefly, putting it back on after when he got cold a second later. But then, he had her on his lap. And a hoodie underneath. She didn't. The poor thing must be freezing... He finally shrugged off his outermost layer – the white coat – wrapping it around her bare shoulders. "She'll be okay. And we'll be here to help you with anything you need till then, okay?"

Santana shrugged. Which, of course, didn't go unnoticed by Wes. _Freaking psychic or something_. "Come on." He grabbed her hand, running another down her face. "Let's get out of here." He made a show of winking. "There's got to be some closet around here somewhere..." Normally the Warblers would make catcalls and encourage their leader, ESPECIALLY their leader. After all, Wes wasn't normally one to take initiative with a girl. But none of them were sure what was going on.

Only, the instant they were outside the room, she broke down, crumbling onto his shoulder. "I just... I can't... I'm, sorry... I'm wrecking your jacket..." It was silly. It was just a jacket and she knew it. But it was ridiculous, everything was crazy, and she was just bawling into this dude's shoulder…

"Nonsense. It's no problem at all. Everyone needs to cry sometimes…" He assured her, sensing the real issue at hand, rubbing her arm gently in reassurance.

* * *

Jeff looked over at his friends and the blonde that currently had her head on Kurt's shoulder. "What the hell is going on and why is Wes going off with a chick now of all times? Maybe he does have a bloody concussion. That'd be the only way to explain that…" He turned to the visitor amongst the midst of Warblers. "Can you explain what's going on? And who are these girls?"

Kurt smiled a little and looked at the girl next to him. "Brittany here drank something that wasn't meant for drinking. Santana, the girl you saw Wes go off with, brought her here to get checked out. They're both in the New Directions with me."

"So, you go to McKinley with Kurt?" Blaine questioned.

She nodded and snuggled up against Kurt more. "Yeah. Kurt's awesome. He's a great kisser, even if he won't have sex with me. But that's okay. I can still cuddle with him. He's my teddy bear. Well, my other teddy bear. Tana's my main teddy bear."

"That would be because I'm gay, Britt," he said, referring to why he wouldn't sleep with a cheerleader as the others watched in half-amusement, half-confusion.

"I know. You're a unicorn. But you've still got really soft skin. Like soft as a baby." She replied and closed her eyes. "Kurtie, when will my tummy stop hurting?"

"Soon baby. Soon." He assured her and placed a gentle kiss on her head and let her lie down in his lap.

Blaine looked over after Britt had been quiet for a few minutes. "So this is Brittany, huh?"

"Yeah. Santana's got a soft spot for her so that's probably what's going on. I mean, from what you've told me about Wes, he tries to care for people. While Santana might kick him in the nuts for it, or try to make out with him, she probably needs someone to look out for her for once." Kurt said as he rubbed circles on the blonde's back to keep her calm and content.

"Yeah, that's Wes alright. I'm sure he'll take good care of her. He's good with people, and he knows martial arts, so if anyone tries to kick him in the nuts he'll be prepared…" _Probably…_

"Though he did hit his head so his reactions may be off…" Jeff added in.

But Thad's question was a humorous response in all of this seriousness mixed with insanity. "Would she really kick him in the nuts?"

* * *

After a little while of the crying, comforting and comfortable silence, Wes looked at her. "You ready to go back now?" He questioned, wondering if she needed more time or wanted to return. He didn't mind either way, but it seemed like a long time…Though he didn't know for sure if it had been or not. His watch was back in the dorms. _The one time I don't have it, I want to know the time…_

She sniffed a bit, wiping at her eyes and composing herself. Only later did she realize that the doctors there probably wouldn't have known the names of the kids at Dalton...or had a rather interesting lab coat* either. Flipping open her phone, she dialed Kurt's number. "Parian marble. We have to talk." The cheerleader spoke in her normal voice.

Kurt could see through her little charade, but played along. _She probably needs the distraction. _He put Santana on speaker for ease of conversation, as she didn't specify private. They were the only ones there at this hour thankfully, the two groups. But the Warblers were surprised when Britt responded to Santana's current nickname for Kurt. "Isn't that the stuff they used for the Venus de Medici?" The blonde questioned into the phone and to Kurt.

The Warblers stared. Did she really just make that reference? This girl seemed spacey this entire time they'd been there, granted it wasn't long… Alright, maybe it was the hair gel in her stomach, but, still… and then she comprehended that reference? Really?

Blaine looked at her excitedly, hoping maybe he'd have someone to geek out with later when she felt better. "You like Ancient Greece too?"

"I dunno. I wasn't there. But I think I would've liked it. They wore flowy togas. I've worn a toga before. But then Sanny told me that no one else wore one…so she gave me new clothes." The blonde said, remembering that moment.

"Yes Britt. Very good." Kurt praised, though a bit delayed and not responding to the toga memory, smiling at her. It was funny how specific you had to get with her. Santana made that reference and she got it but they talked about regular, everyday things and she was lost easily. What an interesting mind.

The Latina smirked at her friend's response. She knew Britt was intelligent. "Too bad they don't offer a course on Ancient Times at McKinley. You'd be able to show off how _muy intelligente_ you are, _chica_." Santana said sexily into the phone.

The other cheerleader perked up before making the noise of a sad kitten. She would know. She'd had Lord Tubbington since he was a kitten. Sometimes he still acted like a kitten... "Tana, my tummy hurts…"

"I know, baby. I know. We'll see the doctor soon, don't you worry."

Blaine looked at Kurt. He could not figure out this girl. She was fascinating. She seemed sweet and Blaine already felt some strange sort of affection for the girl he just met. But that didn't mean he understood her. This whole night was turning out to be confusing. But, then again, what else was new?

Kurt just smiled and shook his head, looking back at the phone and picking it up. "Satan, take me off speaker. I'll do the same for you." He replied, walking towards a nearby corner. It wasn't that the Warblers couldn't hear…but Santana deserved some privacy.

"Alright. Done. What do you want?" She questioned, acting roughly as a defense mechanism now that the blonde couldn't hear her. Currently Britt was all she was worried about.

"I'm just wondering if you're alright…Brittany will be fine. I can tell you're freaking out about it but you're here and that's what matters. I know you hate to see her hurt no matter how you act."

"Look, _Princesa_, you know _nada_,_ capiche_?_ Estoy bien_, okay?" But truthfully she was grateful for the fact that he was worrying about her.

"Alright, alright. If you say so, Satan." He responded, using her all-too-fitting nickname once again. She could be hell if you hurt those she cared about. Or if you pissed her off. But with Britt? She was a big softie and it was nice to know the Cheerio was human.

"So…" she said, stepping away from Wes for a sec.

The older boy was watching her curiously, fascinated. Something about the Latina already drew him in. He wasn't sure what it was. Maybe it was the concussion. Maybe it was the contrast between the fiery girl he saw when they entered and the girl who essentially broke down in his arms not long ago. Maybe he was just a masochist…time would tell. He definitely intended to follow up and find out.

"Tell me about this Wes dude…" She demanded, looking back to make sure he wasn't listening.

"Bring him back, then you and I will go off and talk with you while Britt waits. I can't explain what little I know over the phone while they are watching. They can look after her. Wes is trained, though injured, and Jeff is First Aid trained." He'd learned that, along with several other things, tonight after Wes was practically thrown down the stairs. "Besides that, they're all good guys. We're in Urgent Care though, Tana. When they call her, I'll have Blaine call me and we can go back and you can meet her. We'll just take a quick step outside, alright?"

The cheerleader, out of uniform for once, thought about it for a moment and nodded. "Alright. See you soon."

* * *

Wes limped after her and was forced to sit down by his friends as the Latina stood there, waiting for her friend. Blaine actually moved over. "I'll take over. You can go ahead," he replied, taking Kurt's seat and position with Brittany.

This shocked the countertenor slightly as Blaine didn't even know the girl…"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Blaine's just a big cuddle whore anyways," Nick teased, smiling at his roommate. Jeff nudged him as if to imply something more but Nick just nudged back harder and ignored his boyfriend for the moment.

"I'm sure," was Blaine's reply to Kurt, ignoring Niff. Britt didn't seem to object as she snuggled into her new pillow. It made Santana glare at the boy as she walked off once Kurt moved.

Accustomed to her attitude, Kurt hesitated and looked at the Warbler and the other cheerleader before nodding. As soon as he was out of sight he was pulled over. "So, what's with this Wes guy?"

He sighed. "You ask me as though I know him well. I just met him briefly before tonight…and I suppose a few times when seeing Blaine before. But honestly, if you want to know him, talk to Blaine or one of the other boys."

She clearly wouldn't accept that. "Come on. How come he pulled me away and wanted to go all sappy instead of making out? What kind of guy does that? He was more interested in my feelings than my body. Is he gay too?" Santana questioned fiercely. It's not that she'd have a problem with it; hell, it'd explain that. But she was baffled by the idea of a guy, who liked women, caring about more than her body…at least initially…

Kurt shook his head. "Nope. He did have a girlfriend when I met him, though Blaine told me that they broke up not long later. So he's definitely not gay."

"Then what?" she questioned, looking at the boy for answers.

"I don't know!" he professed, throwing his hands up in frustration.

She looked at him, clearly not accepting that.

"Urgh! Fine. Blaine says Wes has this thing with people…he wants to help them. He likes to. He's got a good sense of it from what he says, and if tonight is any indication. You're not an easy nut to crack." He quipped, looking at her. "Good enough?"

The cheerleader was about to respond when Kurt got a phone call. The diva held up a hand and answered the phone, nodding and listening to the curly-haired cutie back in the waiting room. "Alright. Be there in a sec."

"Well?" She questioned, in response to both the phone call and their previous conversation because that was NOT good enough.

"Britt's name was called. I figured you'd want to go with her..." _Saved by the bell….well, phone, but still…_

She frowned and crossed her arms, glaring at the boy as though he'd willed it to happen this way. "We WILL continue this later…" She warned as she strode off with a hmph to go in with her friend.

* * *

Kurt returned with Santana as the Latina led the blonde back to get looked at. Thankfully, it wasn't long later that Wes was finally called. Blaine smiled at Kurt, moving to support Wes in case he needed it. "We'll be back shortly. Just going to take him back."

Jeff stood on the other side, prepared to help their leader. "And make sure he stays," the Aussie pointed out as Wes shrugged them both off and attempted to limp on back by himself. He really could do it himself… he thought as he stumbled.

Jeff and Blaine grabbed him but he shook them off, thanking them for their assistance but reasserting his independence. "Look guys I'm fine. Really. See?" That didn't really make it any easier as they argued back to the room where Wes sat.

* * *

It didn't take long to get examined after that, a fact they were grateful for. Once Britt was called, everything seemed to be moving quickly.

The doctor, Dr. Walker, walked in a greeted them as he walked in. "So I see here that we have an ankle injury and potential head injury."

Jeff nodded at that. "Sounds right. I filled out that part of the form. Saw him hit his head and the ankle may have happened at the same time. Not sure. He had trouble standing when we tried to get him up."

He nodded at that and sat down to examine Wes, looking at the aforementioned boy and asking questions. "And what were you doing that led to this?"

"Well…admittedly I fell earlier as I was on a run. I didn't think it was anything to be concerned over."

"You gave yourself a concussion while running?" The doctor raised an eyebrow.

"No, no," Wes said quickly. "I went over on my ankle running."

The doctor sighed impatiently. "So, how did you manage the concussion, exactly?"

"Er…that was sort of our fault…" Jeff said, sheepishly as he looked at Wes apologetically.

Blaine hit him on the arm. "YOUR fault. I had no part in that!"

"This time…"

"The point boys?"

"Well, we sorta…"

"Wrapped me in bubble wrap and let me fall down the stairs. It's not really that uncommon and while potentially dangerous it's actually not resulted in any injuries so far. And trust me, with these guys? That's an accomplishment. It was completely reasonable to expect me not to injure myself. How were they to know Strawberry Shortcake would be there and Starlite would get in my way…" Wes said completely seriously. "Nor would I have expected them and the giant blockhead to have started singing '_Cheese is a kind of beef_,' though it is rather catchy," he continued, humming the song and singing quietly under his breath.

The boys just looked at him like he was nuts. They were used to randomness from Wes but, well, this was kind of worrisome.

"Is he always like this?" The doctor questioned, glancing over at the Australian, who seemed the sanest of the boys (which didn't say much), while tapping near the crook of Wes' elbow and watching his arms twitch in response.

"Well... No..." Jeff admitted, taking a quick look at the councilman before turning back to the doctor. "That's why we brought him here. He's a brilliant actor. We didn't even realize he was limping until after he fell. And if he could've, he would've hidden the potential head injury from us too. He... doesn't like getting in the way, so he hides any sort of 'weakness' away from us."

"Thinking Trent was Strawberry Shortcake was another tip-off," Blaine added with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.

"Fuck." Wes glanced over at the younger boy, his eyes bright and coherent again. "Trent. I'm sorry."

But the younger boy shook his head. "I'm more scarred by you singing the song than the mental image, hon. Don't worry."

"Alright," the doctor suddenly cleared his throat, drawing all their attention back to him. "Wes, I need you to look into this light for me." He passed a penlight over the Asian's eyes, watching the pupils react.

"He wasn't PEARLing before," Jeff piped up. "Pretty bloody close, but the right had a delayed reaction."

The doctor nodded, scrawling something on his chart. "Good to know. Now, I think he's okay, but hallucinations can indicate something fairly serious. I'm ordering a CT scan just to be on the safe side. Now, as for that ankle…" He sighed. "You said you went over on it? Did you hear or feel any cracking?"

"No, nothing. I just… rolled it. It's fine," Wes tried to reassure them again. Damn, he'd been forced into that action way too often tonight for his liking.

"I saw you limping in here, and looking at how swollen that is… I need to have a look. Wes, can you remove your shoe for me, please?"

"It's fine, I promise."

Blaine groaned. "Wes, the sooner you do this, the sooner we get to leave."

"You mean, the sooner you get to go back to Kurt," the senior tried to joke.

"Yes. Kurt, who was worried about you. Kurt, who drove all the way to Urgent Care with us. Kurt, who is just left out in the waiting room with David, Thad and Nick. You owe him. Now, just sit down, shut up, and take your shoe off."

"Or, what?"

"Or, we'll make you," Jeff grinned. Trent cracked his knuckles, and they both moved inwards towards him.

"Fine," Wes groaned. Damn it. The pain and swelling, he could hide. The tape to mask his limp was also easily concealed under pants and a sock. But…

The boys gasped as they finally saw his foot, in all its purple and blue glory. Bruises he couldn't hide if they were in plain sight…

"I'm fine. I swear."

The doctor bit his lip in frustration, watching them. "There's almost enough swelling here to justify, but, Wes, I'm going to touch across one of the bones, okay?" He picked up the right foot, looking at a line where the bruising seemed a little stronger. About the insertion of the peroneus brevis. "Does it hurt when I touch here?" he asked, palpating the area gently.

Wes' hiss of pain – the first any of them had heard all night – was enough confirmation.

"Alright, it's probably an avulsion fracture – you probably ripped a bit of bone off when you rolled it. But, I'm ordering a scan for that too, just to confirm it. And, no putting weight on that foot while I'm gone," he warned them and walked out of the room to get things set up.

The scan passed quickly enough in time; though the boys were all so lost in their minds that time hardly seemed real. Wes went, and came back without much fuss. Apparently he listened when it came to that, but not much else.

After the scans the doctor returned to the room with the waiting boys and, while setting up a walking cast, explained things simply enough.

"Okay, you see this bone here?" He started, pointing to a small, longish bone underneath the pinky toe… or, to Trent and Blaine, a long white thing amongst a whole lot of other white things. "Normally, there's a tendon that runs down and meshes with the bone. Like I thought, when you rolled your ankle, you stretched the tendon to the point where it broke off, pulling some bone with it, and actually managed a break in the bone itself. I don't want you putting weight on it for at least a week – and then, not if it hurts. And we'll follow up in a week.

"As for his head, he should be okay," the doctor turned to the other boys. "Keep him awake for a few hours, just to be on the safe side. If he starts feeling nauseous or vomits, or you find any fluid leaking from his ears or nose or anything, or if you can't rouse him, call an ambulance immediately. He's going to have a nasty headache for a few days, and looking at the size of that ankle, I'd imagine a bit of a limp. But he should be fine."

They replied with their thanks and the doctor nodded, telling the nurse to get him a wheelchair to get the Asian to the car. He suggested that would be the easiest method at the moment. Wes was set to argue but the boys all looked at him before he could say a thing. Moments later, the nurse returned with the crutches and a chair.

Wes shook his head at the nurse. "I've got my own crutches…" He mumbled as the boys, not giving him a chance to argue, began to move him. Trent picked up Wes and put him in the chair. He walked off without giving him time to get up either. The other boys thanked the doctor and headed out after.

* * *

Brittany and Santana had gone home, but Kurt was still in the waiting room with David, Thad, and Nick. Jeff, Trent, and Blaine had gone in with Wes just in case he tried to bolt… even with a walking cast on. No one would put it past him.

The curly-haired boy just looked at Kurt with a tired expression. "Doctor said he'd be fine. Sprained his ankle, I think he said he broke his foot or his tendon or something, minor concussion. And now we go home," he said, sounding grateful at the last part.

The other boys looked to Jeff who mouthed tomorrow, in regards to explaining. They always had de-briefing after something big enough happened. They nodded and trudged off to the car where Trent carefully put Wes inside before returning the chair. Upon his return, he climbed in, strapped himself in, and they drove off, back towards the nice, comfy beds that awaited them.

* * *

Around 4am they finally arrived back at Dalton, all of them exhausted. It didn't take long before they helped their no longer fighting, and rather silent, injured leader up to his room and settled him in. He'd be furious come morning but right now their number 1 priority was getting him safely back to his dorm.

The boys all said their goodnights with Kurt and Blaine headed to Blaine's room. Jeff, and as a result Nick, had been the ones to volunteer to stay with their leader that night as he needed to be looked after with the concussion. They'd regroup again tomorrow for a debriefing.

"Kurt?" The soloist suddenly spoke as they made the short move to his room.

"Hmm?" the countertenor hummed wearily in response as they walked across the hall and into the curly-haired boy's dormitory. It had been a long night to say the least and he was exhausted, with right.

"Thanks for coming." Blaine said happily as he shut the door behind them and immediately stripped down, crawling into bed. "I'm sure Wes enjoyed you being here and I know I did."

Kurt's expression softened and he smiled. "I enjoyed myself too...mostly." He said, referring to the trip to urgent care with Wes. "Thanks for letting me stay here."

"Hey, no problem. I'm glad you survived the insanity to stay here though." Blaine laughed, snuggling up on his bed. Nick was, well, now in Wes' room, though he'd originally been planning on spending the night in Jeff's room. He had no problem letting Kurt use his bed for a night. He'd even put clean sheets on. Jeff had teased Blaine saying that if they were going to do it, they should keep it on Blaine's bed. _Wouldn't want to soil those clean sheets_.

Nick and Blaine had both blushed however, and ignored the other's comments. Nick knew Blaine wouldn't really do something so fast…but he did smile a little at his boyfriend's teasing. It was his way of showing affection, showing he cared. It was a bit twisted, but it worked and they all knew it…well, mostly.

As the two boys lay quietly, Blaine reviewed the evening in his head, All in all it had been one hell of a party and one hell of a night overall. The scary thing, or fun, _depending on your perspective,_ Blaine thought, was that _this is just the beginning…Kurt hasn't seen anything yet_…This was only a small sample of the Dalton/Warbler brand of crazy. They'd felt pity for the other boy and didn't even do all of their usual things. Wait until he saw what they were really capable of…

* * *

***Carbon65 **is to be credited with the description of said lab coat that Wes is wearing:

"It has the Dalton crest embroidered on one pocket, and Wes Montgomery embroidered above the pocket. And, it's ladies style (not that the boys know it) because it has big buttons and not stretchy cuffs."

* * *

***PEARL stands for Pupils Equal And Reactive to Light. So you flash them in both eyes, and watch them contract and then dilate. Our forms used to have a chart for the sizes they'd individually change to, and we'd have to write PERL on them. Though I prefer PEARL, and most people used that, even though technically it's incorrect. So sue me. And, yeah, this is Steph (pi. on. a. skateboard) talking :P

****GCS=Glasgow Coma Scale, used frequently in hospitals in emergency/trauma/intensive care setting, and can still be heard on TV (ESPECIALLY the dramas, back in the good old days… Anyone else watch ER?) and was taught in the first aid company Jeff used back pre-2008. Because Steph is a nut and decided he should know that. There's basically 3 components to it, to determine consciousness state – eyes opening (a max score of 4 corresponding to, _opens eyes of own accord_), voice (a max score of 5, corresponding to _normal conversing_ – Wes got a 4, for _confused or disorientated_), and motor control (max score of 6 corresponding to _moves on command_). Lowest score possible is 3, for people deep in comas or, well, dead. Max is (4+5+6=) 15. Anything lower than 15 suggests some form of neurocompromisation and is really worrying. But, apart from that, 'tis a lot of fun. And, as a member of Jeff's company, it used to be on our forms next to the pupil thing.

*****Another Steph-goes-first-aid-nut-on-your-arses. Oh, and, yes, she is Australian and often rambles incoherently. Hi! Yep. Absolutely disgusting, but one of the earliest things I remember learning was that if you have a patient vomiting, keep as much as you can. It lets the hospital monitor how much fluid is lost, and they can test it – so, they might want to look for drugs, or any other potential anomalies that I've forgotten from first aid and haven't learnt yet in Biomed. Potential concussion, it's unlikely they'll do anything. But, I'm finicky. And bureaucratic. And paranoid.

* * *

Also, I **(Different Child) **know nothing about medicine other than what I've seen based on my experience, my friend's experiences, and television (which can be incredibly wrong). Any and all things that sound correct have probably come from my friends who actually study this stuff and correct me **(pi. on. a. skateboard **& **Carbon65)**. I am sorry for any inaccuracies. Anything that is accurate, is probably Steph's doing in this chapter. XD

Re the bubble wrap, suspend your belief that no one's been hurt before. It's Glee. Reality doesn't necessarily apply.

* * *

**A/N****: **Can't wait to update again! I love you guys! I'm glad I'm back now! I'm sorry that I've been gone, life has been rather annoying and this chapter has been troublesome. I've gotten some future chapters written though so never fear! The ideas are here! Missed ya!

* * *

Yo yo yo beautiful peeps! Steph all up in yo grill to say hi. And to tell you to review this, because I know Katie really appreciates it. And I'm just a nut. And she's probably going to delete this. Or else, we'll edit a bit more and have more conversations in the notes BECAUSE I AM FULL OF EMOTIONS BECAUSE WES IS AN IDIOT. Also because I totally just got to take my OMFG YOU ARE SO ACCIDENT-PRONE out on him and give him an injury I basically did to myself.

OMG. Steph. Shut up.

Katie, if you value your sanity… delete this.

… Or, leave it in. Maybe we can convince all your readers that you are insane. And I am a figment of your imagination. MWAHAHAHAHA.

NO. THEY MUST NEVER KNOW.

… Alright. I'm going now :P

LOVE YOU GIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRL

* * *

Love you too Steph. : ) And thanks!

_**A/N (Again)**__**: **_And that, folks, is **pi.** **on. a. skateboard **(without the spaces). She's one of the bestest friends I've made on ff and I'm grateful for her. She essentially co-wrote this chapter because well…yes. XDD She's the med person and I can't explain the med stuff properly enough .XDD And because she is my go-to girl for GLEE and RANDOMNESS! (Because she's quite random)

Thanks for reading!


End file.
